The MC traces its earliest origins to the first physicians recruited by the Medical Department of the Army, created by the Second Continental Congress in 1775.

Currently, the MC consists of over 4,400 active duty physicians representing all the specialties and subspecialties of civilian medicine.

Among the accomplishments of Army surgeons during the years of the Revolution was completion (in 1778, at Lititz, Pennsylvania) of the first pharmacopoeia printed in America.

During the period that followed (1789–1818) Congress provided for a medical organization for the Army only in time of war or emergency.

In 1954, a prominent thoracic surgeon and Harvard graduate, Frank Berry, was appointed as the second Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs).

Eventually, GME became both a recruiting and a retention tool for the AMEDD, and board-certified specialists were attracted in steady numbers.

Those who were deferred for only one year of residency were termed "partially trained specialists" and were usually given military assignments that allowed them to work within their specialty.

To avoid reinstating another "doctor draft", the US Congress took steps to encourage medical students to enter the military as physicians.

Completing this trend, medical school training has been provided for military students since the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) was established in 1972, graduating its first class in 1980.

As of mid-2008, the number of active duty doctors serving in the MC nearly met the requirement of 4,448 authorized positions.

A smaller number graduate from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) in Bethesda, Maryland and serve on active duty (as second lieutenants) while students, incurring a seven-year obligation.

Some MC officers are accessed via direct commission after completion of specialty or sub-specialty training before entry on active duty.

Younger MC officers are typically not boarded as they have not yet taken specialty training, but as they advance in their careers, board-certification becomes a virtual necessity for promotion to the rank of lieutenant colonel and higher.

The continuation pay program is tied directly to the maintenance of a state license and a board-certification bonus encourages MC officers to maintain active board certification by taking a re-certification exam every 10 years.

Operational Physicians should expect that greater than 60% of their time will be spent in administrative roles and non-patient care.

40% of the Operational providers time is spent caring for Soldiers or supervising unit Physician Assistants(PAs).

With the recent BCT (Brigade Combat Team) restructuring, the demand for Operational Surgeons have increased.