15,June 2020
How to become a doctor in India
We can earn the title ‘DOCTOR’ in many ways. It can be obtained after completion of a Ph.D. in a specific field. It can be earned after completing medical courses like MBBS & BDS. It can also be obtained by many courses such as BPT, BHMS, BAMS, and other relevant courses.
Becoming a doctor is the aim of a lot of students. People think of medicine as a prestigious career, the process of getting into an MBBS course may be arduous.
When a student wishes or dreams to become a doctor, he or she has to go through a series of hard work and motivated studies. It starts right from the planning & preparation which should also be directed towards the target and it has to start very early. Doctor’s as an individual serves a greater purpose in life to the society as well as to their own family. No doubt it is a very prestigious profession with handsome money but to opt this it requires some rigorous efforts to do so. Some steps are to be followed to becoming a doctor & proper guidance must require. One should be always prepared in life and boulders that he or she might face for choosing a medical career especially becoming a doctor & it needs some strict regimen and a discipline in life. So always be prepared for constant hard work. Medical aspirants need to put in lots of diligent and rigorous work that takes a good hold right from an early age. Students must be sharp and also be able to grasp things quickly. We all know that being in a medical field required lots of focused and undivided attention and that is the major hurdle. Well, it’s a fact that Doctor’s journey is not Silk Road to walk on or lap of luxury.
If interested candidates are determined to work hard, it is not impossible to become an MBBS doctor; it is not an impossible dream to accomplish.
STEPS OF BECOMING A DOCTOR IN INDIA
Secondary School Education:
In secondary school (10+2), students must opt for subjects like Biology, Chemistry, and Physics basically in a science stream. Applying for the MBBS program, he/she must have completed 17 years, but not more than 25 years in the general category.
Entrance Examination:
Students who wish to pursue graduation in MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery), Veterinary science program, or BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) must go through a common entrance examination NEET (National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test) examination. NEET is replaced the AIPMT and all rest of individual MBBS exams which were conducted by states or Pharmacy colleges. In India, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) conducts the NEET entrance examination annually for medical aspirants and it is the common gateway to various medical colleges. Securing a good rank in this Entrance Examination decides a good seat in the top medical colleges in India. There are other special courses or streams in many colleges that students can opt during their graduation like Ayurveda, Unani, and Homeopathy if the candidate wishes to specialize in any of these.
Graduation:
MBBS stands for Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery, UG (undergraduate) course. To become a doctor, MBBS is the basic degree required. The course consists of nine semesters and one year of mandatory internships. The timeline of this MBBS course 5 and a ½ years (+ 1 year of internship) in total as a compulsory program. If a student secures the best grades in this he/she can get hold of a good career in medicine.
Specialization:
Around 12,000 MBBS graduates complete their doctor’s degrees across the country every year. To specialize in medicine one must pursue a Master’s degree post-graduation (MBBS). So, interested students for pursuing Post-graduation, a common entrance examination NEET PG (Post Graduate) provide a common platform to compete for best seats in various PG Diploma courses. During the post-graduation (Master’s program) a candidate may choose either Master’s of Surgery (MS) for becoming a surgeon or Doctor of Medicine (MD) for becoming a physician.
Some specializations in DM & MD:
Orthopedics, Dermatology, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Psychiatry, Endocrinology (DM), Cardiology (DM), Neurology (DM), Anaesthesiology, Gynaecology, Paediatrics, Pediatric Surgery (M.Ch), Plastic surgery (M.Ch), Urology, Cardiac surgery, Cardio-thoracic surgery and Cosmetic surgery.
Approximately Cost of becoming a Doctor in India
MBBS courses from Government at cost range from Rs.25,000-75,000. The government only offers about 25,000 seats.
Private colleges cost around Rs. 15-40 lakhs for an MBBS course.
The Management quota seats will range in Rs. 55-80 lakhs.
Students need to prepare well before going through an entrance examination in any type of course to become an MBBS doctor.
Author
Ms. Kirti Kaushal
(Assistant Professor)