PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION AND RANK IDENTITY IN THE MILITARY NURSING SERVICE: A REVIEW OF NOMENCLATURE

Abstract

The Military Nursing Service is an integral part  of  India’s  military  healthcare  system—managing  clinical care,

education, operations, and administration. MNS officers are commissioned by the President, similar to other Armed Forces Medical Services officers. However, in practice, the service still relies on old-fashioned nursing titles rather than treating officers according to their actual ranks. This split between rank and job title creates real problems in how these officers are recognised and respected.

This paper examines the evolution of MNS officer titles and where things stand today. We examine how this inconsistency affects rank recognition, professional standing, and the collaboration of different military branches. We examined regulations, analysed historical trends, compared the Military Nursing Service (MNS) with other military medical groups such as the Army Medical Corps, and assessed how international military forces and civilian nursing in India manage this issue. Our findings are clear: the problem does not stem from any intentional policy but rather from the use of outdated naming conventions in military nursing that fail to reflect the reality of MNS officers as fully commissioned officers with expanded responsibilities. Our proposed solution is simple: adopt rank as the primary identifier and use specific job titles as additional descriptors to avoid ambiguity. This method is effective in other military branches and would bring MNS practices in line with international standards while appropriately acknowledging MNS officers as fully commissioned members of the armed forces