Introduction

Ayurveda has been a major part of treatment and care in India, for thousands of years. Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and surgery, or BAMS is a course that requires five years and six months to complete and teaches the students everything there is to know about Ayurveda and its application in the curing of various diseases. For 4.5 years, the aspirants are taught about nursing, while one year is generally kept for internship. In current times, especially with the advent of the coronavirus, the medical industry has grabbed even more attention than before, and along with came a higher focus on Ayurveda. Thus, Ayurveda is now a popular choice for students as a career option, and once they graduate, they are given the title of ‘Vaidyar’. In this article, an attempt will be made to explore the course details, admission, fee structure, syllabus, and the other information needed by students, to pursue a course in Ayurveda.

Course Details

It is an undergraduate program, designed for students, who want to build a career around Ayurveda and its usage in the cure, treatment, and analysis of health and its ailments. The course of BAMS is divided into 3 sections, each section is taught for 1.5 years, and the sections are:

a. The first year - The syllabus contains the history of Ayurveda, anatomy, physiology, and Sanskrit. Each paper has a total of 100 marks, and the students have to score a minimum of 50% on tota, to pass.

b. The second year- The syllabus contains pharmacology and toxicology, more specifically - Rog Nidan, Ras Shastra, Bhaishajaiya Kalpana, Drvavya Gunn, and Charak Samhita Purvad.

c. The third year - The syllabus entails Roga Nidana, Swasthavritta, Prasuti Tantra Evum Stree Roga, Kaumarbhritya Parichaya, and Charak Samhita.

Admission Process and Eligibility Criteria

In order to get admitted and graduate from a reputed Pharmacy college of BAMS, the aspirants must fulfill the following criteria:

• The aspirants should have passed their class 12 board examinations with the science stream, with a minimum aggregate of 45-50 per cent, from a recognized board of examination in India. It is also necessary that their course has the subject Biology, which is extremely important in every medical platform.
• The students have to appear for any of the entrance examinations. Some of the colleges accept the score of the national level entrance examination NEET (National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test), while other colleges also accept scores from state-level entrance examinations like GCET (Goa Common Entrance Test) and OJEE (Odisha Joint Entrance Examination), while some universities hold their own entrance examination like IPU CET (Indraprastha University Common Entrance Examination).
• Candidates for the program are selected by considering both the marks scored in the 12th board examination and the marks scored in the entrance examination.
• The colleges can also choose a personal interview round, in order to shortlist the students.

Top 10 colleges for students who wish to pursue BAMS

In order to secure a successful career in the future, it is important that the students do their graduation from a well-ranked college, which offers this particular course. In order to help the students to narrow down their choice, a list has been provided below along with their fees.

Name of the college	Average Annual Course Fee
Institute of Medical Sciences Banaras Hindu University	INR 1.35 L
Tilak Ayurved Mahavidyalaya	INR 49 K
Patanjali Ayurved College	INR 2.15 L
Podar Ayurved Medical College	INR 41250
Ashtang Ayurved Mahavidyalaya	INR 2.22 L
Sumitabhai Shah Ayurved Mahavidyalaya Malwadi	INR 1.75 L
State Ayurvedic College and Hospital, Lucknow	INR 15 K
K G Mittal Ayurvedic College	INR 1.25 L
KUHS Thrissur	INR 55 K
Sri Kalabyraveshwara Swamy Ayurvedic Medical College, Bangalore	INR 28590

Career Opportunities after completing BAMS

Once the students have completed their BAMS from a reputed college, they can work in various fields like nursing, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, life science, medical tourism, insurance, and education, and their employment locations can be hospitals, ayurvedic resorts, dispensaries, panchakarma ashrams, dispensaries, clinical research, and ayurvedic spa centers. The skill set that is expected in every center that hires BAMS graduates is curiosity about Ayurveda, observation, patience, concentration, counseling, and decision-making ability. The job profiles that the graduates of BAMS can work as are:

• Physician/Doctor/Practitioner- With the knowledge gained in the course, the aspirants can practice under some senior physician, and apply their gained knowledge in the cure and betterment of life. They can focus on areas such as skin diseases.
• Drug Manufacturing - BAMS offers the students the necessary knowledge that is needed to aid in the manufacturing and processing of drugs, and M.Sc from a related field can further their prospects in manufacturing.
• Therapist - Ayurvedic therapy has now become popular not only in India but also internationally. The BAMS graduates can work in such resorts, and help with problems such as obesity, skin diseases, etc.
• Researcher - The BAMS graduates can research on, or assist in the research of new drugs for the targeted diseases. Universities such as Cranfield University, have branches in India, which conduct various studies which last from 6 months to 2 years.
• Management - Those who do not want to do clinical work, but want to stay associated with the medical field, can do their masters in management, and carry their career forward.
• Others- Aspirants can also work in fields such as medical tourism, medical event management, medical photography and documentation, and medical journalism, and can work in the manufacturing of types of equipment required in ayurvedic treatment. They can also continue in academics and pursue higher studies. They can also pursue LLB after, and become a medical advisor.

Scope of pursuing BAMS

BAMS as a course is a futuristic one. For graduates in a variety of medical specializations, the BAMS programme provides an array of prospects and opportunities. BAMS graduates can find gainful employment in a number of specialisations throughout industries including healthcare, education, medication development and manufacturing, research, and management as the BAMS scope becomes more specialised and the need for alternative medicine increases. The typical BAMS remuneration for new recruits is between INR 2 and 5 LPA. The degree of qualification, experience, and acquired abilities has a significant impact on the pay of BAMS doctors in India. Students can anticipate a salary of up to INR 3.6 LPA after working in the medical profession for two to three years.

Conclusion

In this article, an attempt has been made to explore the various possibilities of pursuing BAMS, along with the best places to pursue the degree from. In the modern world, there is a never-ending hunger for improvement in every field, and the medical industry is no exception. Ayurveda, though has been practised for hundreds of years in India, there is still scope for betterment and invention of new drugs, and the advancement of the industry as a whole. Thus, students pursuing BAMS have the possibility of giving rise to a whole new world of Ayurveda in the future and secure their lives with both hard and soft skills, high salaries and make lives better for themselves, as well as the world.