Navy Corpsmen
Dedicated to HM3 Marques Nettles, who lost his life while serving this country in Operation Iraqi Freedom, April 2006.
Navy hospital corpsmen belong to a unique society. They are they Navy’s enlisted medical personnel, and serve in a variety of capacities and locations, from ship to shore. Not only do they serve the needs of the Navy, but they also serve as the medical personnel for the United States Marine Corps. Wherever you find the Marine Corps, there you will find the Navy Corpsmen, side-by-side, ready to answer to the cry of “Corpsman up!”
Their mission is simple: to provide medical care to the sick and injured. In times of peace, they provide medical care to active duty personnel, dependents, and retirees, while in times of war, they serve as the primary medical caregivers for sailors or as the battlefield medics with Marine Corps units. They serve in numerous locations, such as ships, submarines, aircraft carriers, clinics, and hospitals on shore; and, they are employed in various operations, such as amphibious operations, medical evacuations, and humanitarian efforts.
In 1998, Robert Ingram was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his extraordinary service one day in 1966. At that time, he was a young HM3 (third class hospital corpsman) assigned to 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, during the Vietnam War. While under enemy fire, HM3 Ingram administered first aid to injured Marines, even after he was shot four times. He continued to care for the wounded until his injuries caused him to retreat to a safer position. When medical evacuation arrived, he refused to get on it until his Marines were placed first. Thirty-two years later, he received the Medal of Honor. This is only one example of many heroic stories. Throughout history, Navy corpsmen have earned at least 22 Medals of Honor, 174 Navy Crosses, 943 Silver Stars, and 1553 Bronze Stars. They are the most decorated rating in the Navy.
Corpsmen skills range a wide spectrum, from primary care, specialty care, and hospital medicine, to laboratory, radiology, dental, and pharmacy technicians. In the operational setting, on ship or deployed, they see patients on a daily basis; they do histories and physicals on patients, assess them, and then devise plans of care before presenting them to the physician. Some corpsmen, the Independent Duty Corpsmen (IDCs), can even prescribe medications, order tests, and consult specialty care, making them comparable to physician assistants in the civilian sector.
Corpsmen are utilized in all areas of Naval hospitals, from outpatient clinics, to surgery, to multi-service wards, where they work side by side with nurses in documenting patient progress, monitoring vital signs, collecting laboratory specimens, following admission and discharge procedures, administering medication, patient transportation, patient nutrition, and patient hygiene. In addition, they assist in minor surgical cases and serve as circulators in surgical procedures in the main operating room. Navy corpsmen are also adept at IV access and administration, wound care, and phlebotomy. The lot of these skills makes them akin to their civilian CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) or LVN (Licensed Vocation Nurse) counterparts. Many motivated corpsmen go on to receive certifications or degrees as LVNs, CNAs, RNs, EMTs, paramedics, PAs, and even MDs, after leaving military service.
As a physician, it is a great opportunity to be able to work with this class of sailors. For them too, it is also a privilege to work with and learn directly from the Medical Officer. Upon graduation from hospital corps school, they take the hospital corpsman’s pledge, in which it says: “I hold the care of the sick and injured to be a privilege and sacred trust and will assist the Medical Officer with loyalty and honesty. I will not knowingly permit harm to come to any patient. I will hold all personal matters pertaining to the private lives of patients in strict confidence. I dedicate my heart, mind and strength to the work before me.”