The Colonial Medical Corps was composed of physicians, pharmacists, management officers and nurses the last ones being non commissioned officers (NCO). During all the time it was in operation (i.e. from 1890 up to 1968) its physicians and pharmacists have been trained in military academies and as their professional curriculum was the same as for all other students they took their courses and exams in Medical Schools according to the same agenda as their civilian fellow students. After their graduation their training was supplemented with a course on tropical medicine which they took at the "Training School in the Pharo" in Marseilles.

Once this training was completed they usually had to go overseas for their first tour of duty and there, were assigned to run a medical post somewhere in the bush. This was dubbed "bush posting". The practice of medicine there had nothing to do with the kind of practice a general practitioner could have in the homeland. The duties of a colonial pharmacist also were quite different from the duties of a pharmacist in his pharmacy in France. They were all admirably supported by management officers and NCO nurses.