The Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) prescribes the wear of hard shoulder boards on a wide variety of dress and service uniforms, as well as on optional items such as sweaters and outerwear garments. Hard shoulder boards are positioned with the square end outboard at the shoulder sea and the gilt PHS button facing inboard toward the neck; the anchor of the Corps device faces forward.
Because the men’s and women’s hard shoulder board use different attachment methods, it is important you verify the Size selection to the right before submitting your order. Our female hard shoulder boards are the older-style board designed to fit over a strap on an epauletted shirt or coat, while the male version has a strap or hasp that slides through the shoulder loops on jackets, coats, and sweaters.
Our female hard should boards are worn with the Summer White uniform shirt. Regulations also prescribe their wear on the new choker-style female Service Dress White (SDW) and the Reefer, but since they have shoulder loops you’ll need to
pick up our shoulder board adapter to wear older boards on them. (Oddly, regulations prescribe that Female Corps personnel wear male hard shoulder boards on the Blue Bridge Coat because it also has shoulder loops like the choker-style SDW and Reefer.)
Male hard shoulder boards are worn all the uniforms utilizing the Dinner Dress White Jacket and Service Dress White Coat, as well as on the men’s version of the Summer White uniform shirt (and of course the Blue Bridge Coat).