Branches Supported by Other Service Branches’ Medical Corps
The United States Marine Corps
The four Navy Medical Corps are charged with providing medical services to the United States Marine Corps. This includes the Navy Medical Corps, Nurse Corps, Dental Corps, and the Navy Medical Services Corps which consists of 22 departments such as Environmental Health, Clinical Psychology, and Health Care Administration.
Nurses serving in the Navy Nurse Corps can be assigned to care for Marines and their dependents at various Marine camps across the country. For example, a Navy Nurse Corps officer could manage clinic operations at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, a Naval medical facility located on a Marine Corps military base.
Although direct medical care is provided by the Navy, the plan for the health care needs of the Marines is managed by the Health Services Agency at Headquarters Marine Corps. The Medical Officer of the Marine Corps is responsible to advise the Commandant and headquarters staff on all medical and dental matters related to supporting the Marine Corps. Along with the Health Services staff, The Medical Officer works with the Navy to ensure medical and dental planning is appropriate for all Marine Corps procedures and programs, including care for Landing Forces.
The United States Coast Guard
As the smallest military service line, the Coast Guard receives medical care from two sources; the Navy Medical Corps and the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service (USPHS).
The U.S. Coast Guard was originally formed in 1915 when Congress combined five federal services: the U.S. Lighthouse Service, the Revenue Cutter Service, the Steamboat Inspection Service, the Bureau of Navigation, and the U.S. Lifesaving Service. Currently, the Coast Guard falls under the Department of Homeland Security during times of peace and the U.S. Navy during times of war. The Coast Guard is responsible for search and rescue operations, minimizing drug trafficking, and enforcing the laws on coastal waterways.
Nurses assigned to Coast Guard Air Stations or bases can expect to work at any one of the numerous installations across the U.S. For example, at U.S. Coast Guard Base Portsmouth in New Hampshire, the medical care is provided by the U.S. Navy on base and through the local Naval Medical Center Portsmouth. However, at the U.S. Coast
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