After graduation she worked at Brooke Army Medical Center. In 1961 she became staff nurse at the hospital at Fort Dix. While there, she also participated in an intensive care  program at Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center. In 1963, she left her position at Fort Dix to work in South Korea. She worked at the 121st Evacuation Hospital. She attended classes at Fort Sam Houston. She would go on to become an instructor there. She was at Fort Sam from 1964 until 1967. After 1967, she received a Master's degree in medical-surgical nursing from the University of Minnesota. She also got married during this time period. She married James Adams; five years later they divorced.

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She taught at Walter Reed Army Medical Center starting in 1969. She became the Director of Nursing at Fort George G. Meade starting in 1974. The following year she started attending the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. She graduated in 1976. She was the first woman to graduate from the college with a degree in military arts and sciences.

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After graduation, she started working as a hospital inspector at United States Army Health Services Command post at Fort Sam Houston. In 1978 she moved to Frankfurt, Germany, where she started as assistant chief at the Department of Nursing at the 97th General Hospital. She would leave the position as chief in 1981. She was promoted to colonel. Also in 1981, she married Heinz Ender. Completing her tour in Germany she returned to the United States.

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Adams-Ender did a lot of nursing recruitment.  She relocated to Fort Sheridan and headed the nurse recruitment program there.  While working there, she attended United States Army War College. She graduated in 1982. This made her the first African American nurse corps student to graduate from the college. She left Fort Sheridan in 1984. Aside from recruitment, she also was active in seeking increased wages for nurses.