Eligibility

Those who wish to practice as medical physicians or surgeons should have completed the MBBS training from a recognized medical college, and must possess a license to practice as a doctor from the State Medical Council.

Selection

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) conducts an all-India entrance examination for admission to the MBBS/BDS course, against 15% of the total seats in all medical/dental colleges run by the Union of India, state governments and other local bodies, except in Andhra Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.

Eligibility

Candidates, who have cleared the 10+2 examination, with a background in science, are eligible for the MBBS course. However, they have to go through highly competitive entrance examinations, for admission to the medical colleges. These include the all-India entrance examinations, which admit students on an all-India basis, and the State Medical College exams for domiciled candidates. 

Candidates having an MBBS degree are eligible for taking the entrance examinations for admission to the specialized MD/MS courses. They should also have completed one year's house job prior to their admission to a postgraduate degree/diploma course.

Duration

The MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) course is of five and .a half years duration, which includes four and a half years of classroom study and practical, followed by one year of internship. The specialized MD/MS courses are generally of three years duration whereas the diploma courses are of two years' duration. The minimum duration for the diploma course is
12 months, after full registrations with the State Medical Council.

Institutions

A large number of institutions all over the country offer training in various branches of the medical profession. Prominent among these are the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi; Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune; Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, at the Aligarh Muslim University in Aligarh; Banaras Hindu University, Institute of Medical Sciences,
Varanasi; Christian Medical College, Vellore; Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry; Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences at Wardha in Maharashtra; and the Christian Medical College in Ludhiana. 

Academic Programme

The academic programme for MBBS includes subjects like anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, pathology, pharmacology, forensic medicine, general medicine, surgery, ophthalmology, ENT (ear, nose, throat), gynecology and obstetrics, pediatrics, orthopedics, as well as preventive and social medicine. 

The entire course of the MBBS programme is divided into three phases, of eighteen months each. This is followed by compulsory rotating internship for a year's duration. 

The first one and a half years of the MBBS course are spent in the study of pre-clinical subjects, after which the student has to clear the first examination in anatomy, including subjects like embryology, physiology and biochemistry. 

The second examination at the end of 18 months includes subjects like pharmacology, pathology, bacteriology and forensic medicine. The three years after passing the pre-clinical subjects are devoted to clinical work in hospital wards and departments along with training in the Para clinical subjects of medicine, including pediatrics, surgery including ear, nose and throat, ophthalmology, midwifery gynecology, and social and preventive medicine. 

The students have to appear in oral, written, clinical and practical tests and only those who are able to successfully obtain at least 50% marks in each part are deemed to have passed the examination. The MBBS degree is granted to students only after successful completion of the medical syllabus, along with one year of rotating internship. 

After obtaining the MBBS degree, candidates are required to register themselves with the State Medical Council, in order to become qualify physicians. The syllabus for the MD/MS course varies, depending on the area of specialization chosen. 

Apart from theoretical a practical training at the postgraduate level, the student have to submit a thesis on a chosen topic. This is no necessary in the postgraduate diploma courses.


Personal Attributes

Good physical health, energy and stamina for working long, irregular hours, manual and finger dexterity, especially for surgery, the drive to work hard, above average intelligence, a strong sense of responsibility, with a powerful urge to serve and heal the sick, self confidence, a powerful memory, keen and minute observation, good judgment, decision-making ability, patience, an amiable and sympathetic temperament, an objective approach, tolerance for human feelings, helpful and considerate attitude, a genuine interest in the welfare of patients, cheerful and friendly temperament.