Medical college in India

For introductory information about medical schools and information about medical schools in other countries see: Medical school.

In India, Medical College refers to an educational institution that provides medical education. These institutions may vary from stand-alone colleges that train doctors to conglomerates that offer training related to all aspects of medical care. The term is synonymous with Medical Schools as used in USA and some other countries.

Recognition

Indian law requires these type of institutions to be recognized by the Medical Council of India. The Indian government keeps an updated list of these approved medical colleges.

Administration

Medical colleges in India are owned, funded and administered by one of the three following sources, each having distinct admission processes:

1. The Government of India
2. State Governments
3. Private Organisations

Eligibility

Undergraduate Courses

Prospective students for an undergraduate course leading towards a Bachelors of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) must have completed a higher secondary school certificate (10+2, or highschool) with the Science stream, including the subjects Biology,Chemistry and Physics with 50% marks.

Graduate Courses

An MBBS degree with registration in the Medical Council of India is the basic requirement for all graduate courses in the field of medicine and surgery. In India, these courses are often referred to as Post graduate courses as MBBS is considered to be a "graduate degree" (though comparable to a western undergraduate degree, the graduate studies after medical school would be comparable to the western Master's Degree). Similarly, sub-specialization in a selected field is known as "super-specialization"

Admission Process

Admission criteria differ from one part of the country to another and even from Institution to Institution. In general, admission is based on one of the following
1. Rank obtained in an entrance examination conducted by the state/central government or the Institution.
2. Marks obtained in the final examinations of Std. XII.

For post graduate courses, rank obtained in an entrance examination forms the basis for admission. Specific institutions may also require a personal interview of the candidate.

The Government of India has allocated a number of seats for students from developing countries where facilities for medical education are either inadequate. The exact number and country-based allocation of these reserved seats may vary annually.

Students seeking admission against the reserved seats are required to apply through the Indian missions abroad or through the diplomatic missions of the respective countries in India. The Indian Embassy or High Commission in a country will be able to provide more information on request. The last date of submission of application is usually the 28th February of the corresponding year. An international student must have completed 12 years of schooling. International students studying in schools in India can apply pending the declaration of their Higher Secondary (10+2) or equivalent examination results. The marks sheet of the examination should be sent within 10 days from the declaration of the result to: Students Cell, Room No. 1009, Ministry of External Affairs. Akbar Bhavan. New Delhi. International students can seek university admission to undergraduate courses in Engineering , Medicine (MBBS) and Dentistry (BDS) in private colleges.

• Medical Entrance Test in India

Courses Offered

A Medical College offers the basic Under graduate course MBBS. In fact only institutions offering MBBS course in its curriculum are referred to as a Medical Colleges. In Addition the college may teach Post Graduate as well as Paramedical courses

The MBBS course starts with the basic non clinical subjects such as biochemistry, physiology, anatomy, microbiology, pathology and pharmacology. The students simultaneously obtain hands-on training in the wards and out-patient departments, where they interact with real patients. The curriculum aims to inculcate good habits of history taking and examination. The student is taught to arrive at a differential diagnosis and to determine what investigations will be useful in a particular case.

Post graduate Courses

All the major colleges also have Post graduate Degreeor Diploma courses in their curriculum. Degree courses are called MD (Doctor of Medicine) or MS (Master of Surgery) courses. They are available in different streams of medical science such as General Medicine, General Surgery, Orthopaedics, Radio-diagnosis, Radiotherapy, ENT, Ophthalmology, Anesthesia, Pediatrics, Community Medicine, Pathology, Microbiology, Forensic Medicine, Pharmacology, Anatomy etc. Degree courses are of 3 years duration while diploma courses are of 2 years duration. Following post-graduation, students can opt for futher sub-specialization in their area of interst by opting for courses called DM (Doctor of Medicine) or MCh (Master of Chirurgiae/Surgery) again of 3 years duration.
An MD (general medicine or paediatrics) is the basic requirement for specialization in Cardiology, Nephrology, Neonatology, Gastoentrology, Neurology etc while an MS (general surgery, ENT or Orthopaedic surgery) is the basic requirement for Neurosurgery, Urology, Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery, Gastrointestinal Surgery, Paediatric Surgery, Plastic Surgery etc.
Post doctoral fellowship courses in Neuro-radiology, Neuro or Cardiac anesthesiology etc are offered by select institutions.

Paramedical Courses

The paramedical courses include

1. B.Sc Nursing
2. B.Sc Medical Lab Technology
3. B.PHARM
4. B.Pt (Physiotherapy)

and many more.

MBBS

The duration of MBBS is five and half years, consisting of 4½ years of didactic lectures and clinical observer-ship and one year of hands-on work as an intern or house surgeon.

I (First) MBBS

The pre-clinical course consists of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, and lasts for a year. Prior to 1997 the I MBBS consisted of 1½ years, but this was trimmed to make more time available for clinical exposure. Passing the I MBBS final examination is mandatory to proceed with the course. A candidate failing the first MBBS examination is detained until all the 1st MBBS subjects are cleared. All such candidates together form an "Additional Batch". The Additional Batch is never reunited with the original batch and for the remaining tenure these students are isolated from their parent batch and carry a personal stigma. This is considered a major drawback of the Indian medical education system.

II (Second) MBBS

Pathology , Pharmacology , Microbiology and Forensic Medicine for one and half years. After clearing all the 4 subjects a student advances to III MBBS. The lecture classes and lab work of these subjects are usually held in the afternoons to enable students to attend the clinical wards and out patient departments in the mornings.

III (Final) MBBS - Part I

Part I consists of one year, where Social and Preventive Medicine(Community Medicine), ENT and Ophthalmology form the course subjects. The lecture classes of these subjects will be in the afternoon. ENT and Ophthalmology Wards will be in the morning and will form part of the clinical studies.

III (Final) MBBS - Part II

One Year of focussed training in the basic clinical subjects, namely, Medicine, Surgery, Orthopedics, Pediatrics Obstetrics and Gynecology. On passing the final MBBS examination, a candidate is awarded provisional registration by the MCI or state medical council and can start the internship. Permanent registration (license to practice) is given only after successful completion of Compulsory Rotatory Internship.

Internship

After successful completion of 4 and a half year MBBS course one has to compulsarily work in the hospital attached to the medical college for one year. This posting is called Compusary Rotatory Residential Internship. The student gets the degree only after completion of the Compulsory Rotatory Residential Internship. An intern is posted in all the clinical departments of the hospital on rotation basis. This imparts him the basic clinical and practical knowledge about all the disciplines of medicine and makes the medical graduate fit to work in community as a General Physician. The person is licenced to practice medicine only after completion of internship. And only after finishing internship one can pursue Post Graduation studies.

Post Graduate Courses

Subject	Degree	Diploma
Anesthesia	MD	DA
Anatomy	MD	Not Applicable
Biochemistry	MD	Not Applicable
Community Medicine	MD	Not Applicable
Dermatology	MD	DDVL
ENT	MS	DLO
Forensic Medicine	MD	Not applicable
General Medicine	MD	Not applicable
General Surgery	MS	Not applicable
Microbiology	MD	Not applicable
Orthopedics	MS	D Ortho
Ophthalmology	MD	DO
Obs & Gyencology	MD	DGO
Pathology	MD	DCP
Pharmacology	MD	Not applicable
Physiology	MD	Not applicable
Pediatrics	MD	DCH
Psychiatry	MD	DPM
Pulmonology	MD	DTCD
Radiodiagnosis	MD	DMRD
Radiotherapy	MD	DMRT

Ranking of Medical Colleges

There is no centralized system of ranking Medical colleges in the country, that is approved by either the Central Government or the Medical Council of India. A number of news papers and magazines have conducted surveys in the past, ranking the various colleges on the basis of their facilities, patient load, placements achieved by their alumni and so on. While a number of institutions that are controlled or aided by the Central government have achieved a sort of Ivy League status, a few privately run institutions also find mention in most of these lists.

As per the current situation (2006), the ranking of the Medical Colleges in India (for MBBS training) is as follows (though other surveys may give other ranks):
1. All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi (Central Govt.)
2. Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune (Ministry of Defence)
3. JIPMER (Central Govt.)
4. Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad, India.
5. Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC), Delhi (State Govt.)
6. Banares Hindu University (Govt.)
7. Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore(Minority, Christians preferred - Pvt)
8. Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore and Manipal (Pvt.)

For Post Graduate Studies, the ranking is as follows:
1. All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi
2. Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER or popularly PGI), Chandigarh
3. JIPMER
4. Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune
5. Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC), Delhi
6. Banares Hindu University
7. Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore
8. Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore and Manipal

See also

• Medical school
• Medical education
• Srmc
• Sarojini Naidu Medical College

External links

• Nopany Institute of Healthcare Studies
• Medical Colleges approved by the Indian government
• Medical Colleges in India