Doctor of Medicine

Know in detail about Doctor of Medicine. Difference between MBBS and MD. ....

Kanika Sharma
Kanika Sharma

Dec 15, 2020 11:27:04

Doctor-of-Medicine.png

Are you a medical student? Are you planning to do MD after your MBBS degree? If yes, then you have landed in the right place! One of the future study options after your MBBS is the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) course. Most of the graduates in India have chosen the M.D. or Doctor of medicine course as an ideal postgraduate study after MBBS, for many years. Doctor of medicine course is one of the two most sought after postgraduate medical course, with the other being the M.S., that individuals pursue after the MBBS.

Here you will get all the relevant information about the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree regarding What is Doctor of medicine, Eligibility guidelines for M.D., the Admission process, M.D. Course structure, leading colleges in India for M.D., and much more.

Let's begin to discuss this in detail.

Know which is the best country for MBBS 

What is a Doctor of Medicine (MD)?

Medical doctors all the MDs are simply the physicians who work in hospitals, clinics, medical centers, and other healthcare institutions. MDs provide treatment to people having illnesses or injuries. Their work covers diagnosing their ailments, prescribing medications to the patients, recommending diagnostic tests, and keeping a record of the patients' information. Doctor of medicine generally has varied specializations like general practice, pediatric care, cardiology, clinical hematology, gynecology, dermatology, orthopedics, and many others. The job of medical doctors varies, depending upon their specialization and work environment.

M.D. (Doctor of Medicine) Course Program

M.D. stands for Doctor of medicine that is a postgraduate degree course for the duration of three years as per the norms of MCI (Medical Council of India) now NMC, across different specializations available. In India, most of the MBBS graduates who wish to game specialization in the field that holds their interest, choose MD, as post-graduation degree in that particular specialization.

So this MD degree is focused upon those individuals who want to gain an in-depth knowledge of the specialized field they have opted for. Under this course program students have to do research work and conduct experiments to develop different medicinal solutions and treatment processes for certain kinds of diseases.

Now let's discuss the major eligibility guidelines for the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) course program.

Eligibility Guidelines for Doctor of Medicine Course

Following are eligibility guidelines for the individuals aspiring to pursue a doctor of medicine degree course:

  • The candidates must have passed the 10+2 level of schooling (12th standard) from a recognized board, with physics, chemistry, and biology as the main subjects (PCB stream).

  • The candidates must have completed their MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) from a recognized college or institution. This includes the 5 years of the academic study of the MBBS course as well as the one-year mandatory internship period.

  • The candidate should have a considerable score in NEET or any other entrance exam as organized by the respective college of study for getting admission in the MD course.

Now, let's head towards the admission process.

Admission Procedure for Doctor of Medicine Course

Individuals who are interested in pursuing a doctor of medicine MD degree from any of the colleges in India are required to fulfill the eligibility guidelines for admission. admission to the MD course is based on the score obtained in the NEET-PG examination, which is organized for almost all the PG Medical courses in India. Search admission will be based on the counseling sessions held by the respective body across India. All the candidates are primarily required to appear for the NEET-PG exam that is applicable for the year in which the individual wants to pursue the M.D. course. After the declaration of the NEET-PG merit list, the admission process for MD begins.

In the NEET-PG selection process, the candidates will be offered admission to MD courses via the neet PG counseling. In the counseling session, candidates are asked to choose the course and the college in which they want to pursue the chosen course. According to the merit list for the NEET-PG exam and the seats available in various colleges, the candidates will be allotted a seat in the respective course and college.

For admission in the MD course, many institutes conduct their own entrance exam. Hereby the final selection is done on the basis of the performance of the candidate in the entrance test and its corresponding rounds if any.

Relevant Skills required to Become an M.D.

There are certain skills that an individual must possess to work as a successful MD. The most predominant factors to work as an MD are deep theoretical knowledge and rich hands-on experience. Responsibility sincerity and self-confidence are also needed for working as an MD. There are distinct skills that you should acquire or hone in your day-to-day work to establish yourself as a successful medical practitioner.

The major skills needed to become a successful MD are mentioned below:

1) Diagnosis Skill: You should have the ability to diagnose diseases based on their symptoms.

2) Interpersonal Skills: You should have the ability to treat the patients nicely and build their faith and trust. A polite attitude and a caring personality are the two essential qualities.

3) Communication Skills: You should have the ability to communicate well with the patient and his family. Also, as a practitioner, you have to convey your diagnostic findings and discuss the treatment with other medical staff.

4) Team-Working Skills: you should have the ability to work in a team along with other physicians, experts, & staff.  You should be capable of working for long irregular hours in high-stress medical environments with your team.

5) Time Management Skills: You should have the ability to manage the time well and work with punctuality. Time-management and teamwork skills are crucial for this job.

6) Determination and Endurance: you should have the ability to keep patience to listen and dedication to the patients. Patience and interest to hear the patient's side of the story are imperative.

7) Analytical & Problem Solving Skill: You should be a problem solver by nature. You should have the ability to tackle a crucial case and apply the remedial measure to provide for the same. Good reading, enquiring, and researching habits are helpful to find solutions to critical problems.

8) Technical Skills: You must possess the relevant technical skills regarding the use of modern treatment techniques, medical instruments, apparatus, and novel innovations.

Now, let's review the course framework.

MD Course Structure and Syllabus

the doctor of medicine course has a duration of three years. The whole course curriculum is segmented into six semesters, two semesters each year. The MD course incorporates academic lectures, practical work, research and thesis works, seminars, group discussions, viva-voce, etc. All these components in the course inclusively aim that the future doctors gain an in-depth subjective knowledge along with practical exposure with the clinical work.

The semester wise curriculum of the MD course is tabulated below:

Semester 1

Applied basic science knowledge

Diseases with reference to General Medicine

Recent advances in Medicine

 

Semester 2

Biostatistics and clinical epidemiology

Diagnostic investigation and procedures

 

Semester 3

Monitoring seriously ill patients

Counseling patients and relatives

Ability to teach undergraduate students

 

Semester 4

Ability to carry out research

Ward patient management

OPD patient management

 

Semester 5

Long and short topic presentations

Ward rounds, case presentations, and discussions

Clinico-radiological and Clinico-pathological conferences

Semester 6

Journal conferences

PG case presentation skills

Research review

 

Some Leading Colleges in India for the M.D. program

  1. All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi

  2. Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry

  3. Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC), New Delhi

  4. Madras Medical College (MMC), Chennai

  5. Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune

  6. Government Medical College (GMC), Amritsar

  7. Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS – Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi

  8. Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research (IPGMER), Kolkata

  9. Government Medical College, Surat

  10. SMS Medical College (SMSMC), Jaipur

Now, Let's have a look at the Career prospects after pursuing an M.D. degree.

Career Prospects after becoming an M.D.

There is a broad career scope after completing the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) program. MDs have medical expertise and such professionals are high in demand. After getting an M.D. degree you can work in various government hospitals, private hospitals, and nursing homes as well. You can also acquire a job in biomedical companies. If you have an interest in the teaching field, you can join medical colleges as a professor/ lecturer. Further, you can engage in research work for medical publications and textbooks.

The major employment areas after becoming an MD are listed below:

  • Government hospitals

  • Private Super Speciality Hospitals

  • Healthcare Centers

  • Nursing Homes

  • Bio-medical Companies

  • Medical Colleges

  • Research institutes (Govt. / Pvt.)

  • Research Laboratories (Govt. / Pvt.)

  • Pharmaceuticals and Bio-technology companies

  • Non-profit Organizations etc.

You can also carry on private practice as a doctor and set up your private clinic.

Salary prospects after Doctor of Medicine (M.D)

It takes several years of exhaustive study, persistent efforts, and a rigorous schedule to become a successful M.D. and start gaining benefits from your medical practice after you become an MD. After starting practicing as an M.D. your earnings entirely depend upon your experience and dedication for the job. However, one gets a rewarding pay package for the M.D. post. Referring to the government hospitals, the pay package of an MD doctor is ascertained by the health department, where is in private hospitals the respective governing body ascertains an MD's salary. Obviously, the pay package accounts for your additional qualifications, skills, experience, and service record. If you want to earn more you can start practicing in your private clinic. An M.D. doctor, on average, earns around INR 20 lakhs annually in government hospitals and around INR 6-10 lakhs annually in private hospitals.

Hence, the doctor of medicine program opens the door to rewarding career prospects. We wish good luck to all the Doctor of Medicine (M.D) aspirants!