ABOUT

MBBS

MBBS Overview

MBBS full form Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery is a 5 years 6 months undergraduate program in the medical field. This is a professional course for students who want to become doctors, detect diseases, prescribe medication and conduct surgery. To study MBBS, candidates need to appear for an entrance exam- NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test).

For the exam, students must be at least 17 years of age and study Physics, Chemistry and Biology as their compulsory subjects for the 10+2 exam. MBBS Syllabus provides a clear understanding of the important subjects required to study during the course duration.

In India, there are approximately more than 1800 MBBS colleges which constitute a mix of government and private medical colleges teaching MBBS. MBBS fees are completely dependent on the kind of institution- typically a private MBBS college is more expensive in comparison to government colleges. Some of the top Medical Colleges in India are AIIMS New Delhi, JIPMER, PGIMER, NIMHANS, etc.

List of Popular MBBS Course and Specializations

The MBBS course is a single course in itself which is divided into semesters. There are a number of MBBS subjects taught throughout the course. The MBBS course semesters can be divided into three stages preclinical, para-clinical and clinical stages.

It is a professional course for doctors and after the completion of this course, students can choose a specialisation. Here is a list of specialities that one can choose from after completing his or her MBBS degree:

Orthopaedics

Internal Medicine

Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Dermatology

Paediatrics

Radiology

General surgery

Ophthalmology

Family Medicine

Chest Medicine

Anaesthesia

Pathology

ENT

MBBS Course Entrance Exam

There is only one entrance exam for MBBS which is the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test or NEET conducted by NTA. Here are the important details for the MBBS entrance exam:

This entrance exam is held every year to allow students admission to 542 medical colleges, 313 dental, 47 BVSc and AH colleges, and 914 AYUSH colleges.

NEET is conducted in various languages- Assamese, Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Oriya, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.

The exam is conducted in offline mode and there are a total of 158002 seats available. 1257 colleges are participating in the NEET exam 2022.

A candidate should also be at least 17 years of age when registering for the NEET exam. Recently the upper age limit for appearing in the exam has been removed.

Students must also have PCB or PCMB in their class 12 exam in order to appear for NEET.

MBBS Eligibility Criteria

In order to study the MBBS course, students must appear for the NEET or National Eligibility cum Entrance Test conducted by the NTA (National Testing Agency). Based on the rankings received in the entrance examination, candidates will be able to gain admission to various government and private MBBS colleges in India.

Here are the eligibility criteria for obtaining MBBS admission:

The applicant should also be at least 17 years of age in order to be eligible for admission to an MBBS course.

While the minimum marks criteria for admission may vary, at least 50% of marks from candidates will be considered to be eligible for MBBS admission.

Passing the entrance examination i.e. NEET with the best possible scores increases the chances of getting placed in the top MBBS colleges in the country.

NEET applicants should also have Physics, Chemistry and Biology as their 10+2 exam subjects.

For candidates belonging to the reserved category, 40% is the minimum percentage for eligibility.

Eligibility and requirements

Although each country has its own criteria and list of rules for international students who are willing to pursue MBBS abroad, here are some general guidelines for top countries across the world:

Age

The student has to be at least 17 years of age on December 31 of the particular year of application for admission to study MBBS abroad.

Academic requirements

All candidates willing to pursue an MBBS degree abroad have to meet up to these requirements:

Candidate must complete his or her 10+2 from a recognised board. An aggregate percentage of 50% must be achieved in Physics, Chemistry and Biology along with English as a compulsory subject in their 10+2 exam.

Candidates are also required to qualify for the NEET exam even if they are planning to study MBBS abroad. The NEET score for each candidate will be valid for a period of three years.

Students must also produce an Eligibility Certificate from the Medical Council of India during the time of admission to any foreign medical university.

Based on the English requirements of the university or college, students could also be required to appear for English proficiency tests like IELTS, TOEFL, PTE or OET.

Students cannot suffer from any contagious diseases at the time of admission and need to submit a medical certificate for the same.

MBBS Courses One can Pursue Other than Medicine and Surgery

Oftenly, candidates wish to pursue a course other than medicine and surgery after completing MBBS course. For such aspirants, there are several other options available. Students can explore the below-given fields for their desired specialization.

Medicine in the Community

Microbiology

Pathology

Physiology

Biochemistry

Depression Counselling

Occupational Therapy (OT)

Criminal Justice

Anatomy

Psychology of Social Interaction

Skills needed for MBBS

The path to becoming a doctor is one of the most daunting and challenging ones. And without a certain number of skills, students cannot successfully complete their MBBS course and become good doctors. Hence, here is the list of required skillsets for MBBS students:

Academic competence

This skill perhaps goes without saying. Any student without academic competence will not be able to survive in the field of medicine and medical science. Any practising doctor requires to have a strong and sound knowledge base which will be helpful for providing the best care to patients.

Communication skills

Possessing good communication skills is considered to be a huge asset for medical students and doctors as it helps them to identify the problems of patients and provide them with proper remedies. Moreover, medical professionals rarely work in isolation.

Leadership skills

In the field of medicine and medical science, doctors will be required to make important decisions within a short span of time and the outcome will affect someone’s health. Again, effective leadership skills are not limited to patient-related decisions, doctors are also often involved in administrative tasks where they make decisions for positive outcomes.

Teamwork

Doctors need to work in teams, and when working in a group, it is important to understand that each and every team member has their own unique personality as well as perspectives. But with differences, frictions can arise. Hence, they need to be managed effectively.

Empathy

Doctors need to be empathetic towards their patients. In their years of clinical practice, instances may occur when they might only see the disease and not the person. Therefore, empathising with patients and their family members is a crucial part of the healthcare industry.

Securing MBBS Admission

For MBBS admission, students need to appear for an entrance exam- NEET UG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) which is conducted by the NTA (National Testing Agency).

NEET UG exam is conducted once a year and students must be of at least 17 years of age to gain admission into an MBBS course. They must also have Physics, Chemistry and Biology in their 10+2 examination.

Depending on the scores of the NEET exam, candidates will be able to gain admission to various government and private MBBS colleges in India for studying MBBS.

Bridge Courses Offered for MBBS

BDS to MBBS Bridge course allows dental science graduates to practice just like a general physician in several clinics, hospitals, and organizations. After completing the bridge course, aspirants must mandatorily spend at least 3 years in rural arena.