Purpose : The study was done to investigate nurse officer’s general perception, importance, knowledge, competency and frequency of physical examination. Methods : 200 nurse officers working for 3 military hospitals were surveyed from March 2, 2011 to February 2, 2012 and a self-report questionnaire was used to collect data. Results : The overall mean scores of general perception, importance, knowledge, competency and frequency of physical examination were 3.88, 3.54, 3.12, 2.87, 2.22 respectively. The important systems for nurse officers were Integument and Central Nervous system and Female, Breast, Male, Anus/Rectum/Prostate systems were relatively low. There were significant differences according to current working unit, military occupational specialty and working experience at ER or ICU for general perception, importance, knowledge, competency and frequency of physical examination. 21 items out of 126 items were reported as being performed on a regular basis by nurse officers. 25 items were rarely used. Conclusion : The findings suggest the need to develop a nursing education strategy to improve the performance of physical examination, and more educational opportunities in physical examination should be provided in continuous education programs based on the nurse officers’ competency level.