August 2016 - While two Navy corpsmen may be the same rank, their ability to see patients may be different depending on their training. They are either an Independent Duty Corpsmen (IDC - green) or a General Duty Corpsmen (GDC - blue).
Independent Duty Corpsman (IDC - Green)
An Independent Duty Corpsman can see patients without a physician being present and serves with Marines , including combat. An IDC also allow a physician to deal with patients with more serious medical issues whether in a field or mili