A Complete Guide to Medical Education in India

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India has some of the wonderful colleges for law and engineering. Another area that we excel in is providing education in the field of medicine. The medical profession is one of the most important professions in the world. It is one of the most respected, reputed and high-paying jobs in India. The medical profession relates to doctors and other care providers in different medical fields. Here is a guide to medical education in India.

Reasons for pursuing medical education

Respect and Reputation

Becoming a doctor doesn’t only adds the word Dr before one name, but also brings with it the respect from the society and the reputation associated with the profession. It is by far the most respected profession in all the worlds. In times like corona pandemic and other epidemics or diseases, it is only the doctor who can save people and protect the world.

High-Paying and Job Security

Medical field or becoming a doctor is not restricted to serving society, but it is also one of the most financially stable jobs with high pay scales. The job security is always there with various fresh opportunities for the doctors.

Diverse Job Opportunities

Medical Education in India opens doors for a multitude of opportunities to choose from and pursue. The medical field has a lot of diversity ranging from option to go for Cardiology, Neurology, Gynaecology, ENT, Orthopaedic, Paediatrics, Rheumatology, Ophthalmology, etc. There are many branches in the medical field to choose from.

Personal Satisfaction and Content

The medical profession brings with it the joy of saving someone’s life or bringing in new life through a baby or curing someone’s illness. It provides personal satisfaction by helping other people in need and ailment. It brings in a feeling of content in your heart by providing for others and doing your good deed or part in the world or society you live in.

Service to Society

Becoming a doctor is one of the noblest, satisfying and selfless job. It is all about making a difference in one individual’s life or helping society at large. Doctors are a necessity for any city, town or nation, they are an invaluable part of our society.

Various courses and specializations

The main courses available for medical education in India is Bachelors of Medicine and Bachelors of Surgery (MBBS) which is a 5.5-year full-time course offered by various government and private colleges in India. Students also can pursue undergraduate courses in Medical field abroad.

Other medical courses available include courses under AYUSH and other medical-related fields like Dentistry, Nursing, Forensics, etc. 

The top medical courses apart from MBBS are-

• BDS
• Bachelor of Naturopathy & Yogic Science (BNYS)
• Bachelor of Physiotherapy
• BAMS (Ayurvedic)
• BHMS (Homoeopathy)
• BUMS (Unani)
• Bachelor of Veterinary Science & Animal Husbandry (B.VScAH.)

The specialisations are available in post-graduate courses of Doctor of Medicine (MD) and Master in Surgery (MS), where a student can select one line of the medical field to pursue a masters in through a degree of MS or MD.

The specializations in post-graduate course in Medical Education include-

• General Medicine.
• General Surgery.
• Dermatology
• Nephrology
• Craniology
• Pathology
• Ophthalmology
• Orthopedics
• Cardiology
• Immunology
• Pediatrics
• Obstetrics and Gynaecology
• Psychiatry
• Anaesthesiology
• ENT, etc.

Admission into the courses

Undergraduate Courses-

To pursue medical education, one needs to go for Bachelors of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree. Students can get admission for MBBS in various reputed colleges in India by clearing the National level entrance exam called National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Exam (NEET) exam conducted by the National Testing Agency. Some institutes like AIIMS and JIPMER conduct their separate entrance exams for admission into undergraduate courses in medicine. Students can also opt for a medical degree abroad which opens up the opportunity of becoming a medical practitioner abroad.

Students can also go for AYUSH courses in the medical field. AYUSH related to Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy based medical sciences. The entrance exam for AYUSH courses is also NEET.

Medical courses which a student can pursue without clearing the NEET include-

• Biomedical Engineer
• Biochemist
• Pharmacist
• Biotechnologist
• Psychiatrist
• Agricultural Science
• Toxicology
• Dairy Farming
• Food Technology
• Nursing
• Naturopathy and Yogic Sciences
• Clinical Research

Post-graduate Courses-

The postgraduate course after MBBS is Doctor of Medicine (MD) and Master of Surgery (MS) which is a 3-year course. The admission for the same is through an entrance exam- NEET PG conducted by National Testing Agency. It is an essential requirement for admission to a postgraduate course in medicine at any institute in India.

Career opportunities in medical field

A medical degree opens up a lot of opportunities for the students. The MBBS students can opt for practising medicine in a government or private hospital with a high salary. They can opt for going for masters or post-graduation course- MD and MS in various fields of specialisations available. Student can become professors at various medical colleges in India or open up their clinics. Medical Degree provides a very stable job with a lot of perks associated with it like respect, reputation, contentment, etc.

Career opportunities without pursuing an MBBS degree include-

• Horticulturist Dermatologist Dentist 
• Psychiatrist 
• Psychologist 
• Veterinarian 
• Molecular biology 
• Pharmacist 
• Physiotherapist 
• Podiatrist 
• Homoeopath 
• Forensic scientist 
• Nurse 
• Medical Technologist
• Healthcare Companies

All the above jobs and career opportunities are different part of medical education other than becoming an MBBS doctor. The career opportunities above mentioned are high paying jobs with job security. They form a subsidiary or a field of parallel importance to medical education.

Best Hospitals in India

Some of the best hospitals in India providing healthcare with the best doctors are-

• Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals
• Medanta Hospitals
• Wockhardt Ltd.
• United Healthcare Group
• Lilavati Hospital and Research Centre
• Fortis Healthcare Ltd.
• Apollo Hospitals Enterprises Ltd.
• All India Institute of Medical Sciences
• Cipla Ltd.
• Apollo Munich Health Industries Co. Ltd.
• Omega Healthcare
• Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.
• Religare Health Insurance Company Ltd.
• Sri Ganga Ram Hospital
• Max Healthcare
• Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research