A Regimental Aid Post (RAP) is the equivalent to the American Battalion Aid Station. In the British Army, Canadian Forces and other Commonwealth militaries, the RAP is a front line military medical establishment incorporated into an infantry battalion or armoured regiment and designed for the immediate treatment and triage of battlefield casualties.
The term was used at least as early as the First World War and has been in continuous use ever since.
The RAP has traditionally been staffed by the unit's Medical Officer, a Medical NCO, and a small number of medical orderlies. Additionally, units have employed stretcher bearers, and more recently, trained medics, for the evacuation and immediate treatment of battlefield casualties.
The RAP has traditionally been the first stop in the evacuation chain for seriously injured personnel, who are then transported to casualty clearing stations and other larger medical units further to the rear. RAPs are not generally equipped to provide surgical treatment or long term care.
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