How To Become A Doctor In India

How To Become Doctor In India

Different Types Of Doctors

As per their specialities and subspecialties, doctors have expertise in any one or more fields.

• Allergists or Immunologists treat the disorders of the immune system like eczema, food allergies, insect sting allergies, asthma, or autoimmune disorders.
  
  
• Anesthesiologists - They administer the required dose of anaesthesia (a drug that is administered to numb the pain during surgery, pain, or childbirth) and monitor the vital signs of the patients under anaesthesia.
  
  
• Cardiologists treat heart-related diseases like heart failure, irregular heartbeat, heart attack, or high blood pressure, due to expertise in the circulatory system of humans including the heart, and blood vessels.
  
  
• Colon and rectal surgeons - They are experts in the small intestine, colon, and rectum, thus treating haemorrhoids, colon cancer, and inflammatory bowel diseases.
  
  
• Critical Care Medicine Specialists - They are the head of intensive care units (ICU) in the hospitals to take care of injured or critically ill patients.
  
  
• Dermatologists - They are experts in skin and resolve problems like scars, acne, moles, or skin allergies.
  
  
• Endocrinologists - They treat diabetes, infertility, thyroid problems, and bone disorders due to their expertise in hormones, and metabolism.
  
  
• Emergency Medicine Specialists - These doctors take care of the patients during life-or-death situations.
  
  
• Gastroenterologists - While suffering from ulcers, diarrhoea, jaundice, or abdominal pain, the patients can consult them because of their expertise in organs of the digestive system like the stomach, pancreas, liver, intestine, and gallbladder.
  
  
• General physician - They perform routine checkups, manage diabetes, and screen tests.
  
  
• Haematologists - They treat diseases like anaemia, haemophilia, sickle cell diseases, and leukaemia.
  
  
• Neurologists - They are experts in the nervous system, hence treating stroke, epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease.
  
  
• Gynaecologists and Obstetricians- They take care of female reproductive health like pregnancy, childbirth, pelvic examination, and Pap smear.
  
  
• Oncologists - They treat cancer patients through surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy.
  
  
• Paediatricians treat children from their birth to teenage years.
  
  
• Plastic surgeons - They can repair the face, skin, and hands of a person by performing cosmetic surgery.
  
  
• Psychiatrists - They treat patients with schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety disorders.
  
  
• Radiologists - They perform various imaging tests including X-ray, MRI, CT scan, and ultrasound.
  
  
• Urologists - They treat urinary tract infections in men and women.

Tips for developing your career as a doctor

To develop a career as a doctor, a graduate program will not be sufficient. The doctors must take various steps further to get a deeper insight into their field of work. A few tips are:

• Specialization - Completing an MBBS degree might not be enough for a doctor, the individual must pursue further specialization in a particular field like medicine or surgery.
  
  After completing an MD (Doctor of Medicine), the doctor becomes a physician, while after completing an MS (Master of Surgery), the doctor becomes a surgeon.
  
  
• Super specialization - After completing the specialization, to get further deeper knowledge about the field of study, doctors can pursue a super specialization. DM is the super specialization for physicians, while MCh is for surgeons.
  
  
• Improvement of knowledge - Ongoing learning process is effective to develop a career as a doctor. It is essential for the doctors to regularly attend seminars, workshops, and complete certification courses to stay updated and get more experience.
  
  
• Volunteering - The doctors can volunteer to work for certain clinics or health care camps to get more experience regarding types of disease as well as build contacts with other professionals in the same field.
  
  They can provide health care facilities to immigrants, refugees, and individuals without health insurance. It is necessary to give back to the community in the form of volunteers.
  
  
• Organizing a committee - Doctors must make a committee or organization with fellow doctors to discuss the advances to not only develop their professional career but also benefit society.
  
  When several minds come together, they can brainstorm new technologies or methodologies for treatment.
  
  
• Feedback from the patients - While working at the hospitals, doctors must get feedback from the patients to discover the problems, the depth of the problems, and specific measures to resolve them.
   
  
• Humility over arrogance - To get a good rapport in the field, and amongst the patients, the doctor must be humble and gentle.
  
  
• Avoid burnout - Being a doctor is not an easy job, but to develop a career, they must create a work-life balance. This helps them to focus more on their work efficiently. 

How to become a Doctor in India

• Senior secondary school - The candidate must clear the senior secondary examination from CBSE or other equivalent board with a minimum aggregate of 50%.
  
  The candidate must have Physics, chemistry, and biology as the main subjects in class 12th.
  
  
• Appear in the entrance examination - To get admission to any medical college in India (AIIMS, JIPMER, or other) as an allopathic doctor, Ayurvedic doctor, or homoeopathic doctor,
  
  The candidate must appear in National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) organized by NTA. This exam takes place for 180 minutes, containing 180 MCQs for a total of 720 marks. NEET exam can be given in languages
  
  Other than English and Hindi, like Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Marathi, Assamese, Urdu, Gujarati, etc.
  
  
• Apply for admission - After getting a score above the cutoff, then candidates must appear in the counselling process. During the counselling, they can opt for the college of their interest.
  
  They can get admission to a medical College according to their score, and the number of seats in that institution.
   
  
• Complete the degree - The doctors must complete an MBBS degree of 4.5 years from a recognized institute. Ayurvedic doctors and Homeopathic doctors must complete BAMS (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine & Surgery) and BHMS (Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine & Surgery), respectively.
  
  
• Internship - After completing the graduate degree, it is compulsory to complete a medical internship for one year at a recognized institute.
  
  The trainees work under the supervision of senior doctors to get experience and develop skills regarding different diseases, and their treatment.
  
  
• Registration - To legally practice medicine in India, the doctors must get registered with the Medical Council of India. To register under Indian Medical Register, the doctor must complete an MBBS degree,
  
  And one-year internship from any Medical Council of India recognized institute.
  
  
• Practice - The doctors can begin their practice after completing the above-mentioned steps. They can also opt for specialization and super specialization after graduation to get deeper knowledge and skills in their particular field of interest.

The roles of a Doctor

The doctors play different roles like:

• Physical examination and consulting with the patient

• Surgical procedures

• Diagnosis and interpretation of laboratory results

• Assessment and planning of the required treatment

• Pre-operative and post-operative care

• Follow-up

• Referring patient to other healthcare professionals

• Monitoring medications

• Preparation and submission of reports

• Maintenance of medical records

• Coordination with other doctors, nurses, and nonmedical staff

• Organization of workload

• Leading a medical team

• Supervision of trainee doctors

• Stating updated on current medical advances

Eligibility Criteria

The Medical Council of India has set certain eligibility criteria on how to  become a doctor in India after 12th  . 

• 10+2 - The candidate must clear the class 12th examination to appear in the MBBS entrance examination.
  
  
• Compulsory subjects - The candidate must have Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and English language as compulsory subjects in class 12th.
  
  
• Minimum percentage - The candidate must score at least an aggregate of 50% in Board examination results.
  
  
• Age criteria - The candidate must be at least 17 years old to appear in NEET. There is no upper age to appear in the entrance exam.
  
  
• Nationality - Indian citizens, NRI, Persons with Indian Origin (PIO), foreign nationals, and Overseas Citizens of India are eligible to become doctors in India.
  
  
• Admission - The candidate must clear the required cut-off of NEET according to their category to get admission to a medical college in India.

After completing the degree, the candidate must complete one year of medical internship from MCI recognized organization and get registered as a doctor. 

Skills required to become a doctor

Becoming a doctor is not everyone's cup of tea. It needs perseverance, determination, hard work, and focus. A doctor must possess the following skills:

• Communication skills - Doctors need to interact regularly with their patients and colleagues, thus they must be soft-spoken, confident, humble, and empathizing.
  
  
• Emotional intelligence - Even during critical conditions, a doctor must understand the emotional state of the patient's family and treat them accordingly with positive words.
  
  
• Problem-solving skills - Medic diagnosis can lead to the discovery of new diseases, and complications. A doctor must be prepared to solve such a problem in limited time duration to save the patient's life. This needs skills and experience.
  
  
• Attention to the details - Many patients might show allergic reactions to different medicines due to previous illness or physiological differences, hence it is important to consider this during the treatment process.
  
  
• Decision-making skills - The doctors have the final call on the treatment procedure when it comes to the care of patients. Sometimes they have to make tough choices for the betterment by being professional.
  
  
• Professionalism - The doctors must treat all the patients respectively irrespective of their background, and ensure maintenance of clinical procedures according to the guidelines.
  
  
• Teamwork - Many complicated diseases or surgeries require a team of doctors to operate on the patient. Under such conditions, the specialists must coordinate with each other as a team to get the best outcomes.
  
  
• Leadership - Interns look to their seniors for guidance and expertise, hence experienced doctors must have a strong leadership quality to guide others as well as maintain a professional atmosphere at the hospital or clinic.
  
  
• Resilience - Doctors have to be robust when it comes to the best interests of the patients and show resilience towards their recovery.

What books should Doctor study?

• Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine - This book is best for internal medicine specialists to get knowledge about pathophysiology.
  
  
• Atlas of Human Anatomy - This book provides a better insight into human anatomy along with clinical perspectives.
  
  
• The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy - It is an encyclopedia about overviews, diagnoses, and treatment of nearly every medical condition.
  
  
• Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End - This book explains the importance of medicine to improve the quality of life and provide dignified death.
  
  
• The Emperor of Maladies: A Biography of Cancer - It provides details about the cure and control of cancer.

The average salary of a Doctor

According to Glassdoor, the average salary of doctors in India is around 9.6 Lakh per annum. The specialist doctors earn around 18.4 lakh per annum.

The average salary depends upon the field of study, experience, and organization. The average monthly salary of a specialist doctor in a government hospital is around 1.5 lakh while that in Apollo hospital is 68,750

INR. Average salary according to specialization:

• Cardiologist - INR 14.7 LPA
  
  
• Dentist - INR 7.7 LPA
  
  
• ENT specialist - INR 9.6 LPA
  
  
• General Physician - INR 7.1 LPA
  
  
• Neurologist - INR 11.64 LPA
  
  
• Oncologist - INR 9.45 LPA
  
  
• Paediatrician - INR 9.6 LPA
  
  
• Psychiatrist - INR 15.51 LPA

Conclusion

Doctors are the saviours of humanity, hence this job profile needs experience, skills, empathy, and emotional strength. Doctors can work in a private or public hospital, or open their clinic, and earn a good salary.

A doctor must be well educated in various fields. To become a doctor, an individual must have certain degrees and certificates from the Medical Council of India.

Doctors can become specialized by pursuing MD or MS after completing MBBS. Ayurvedic, Homeopathic, veterinary, and dentists must have BAMS, BHMS, BVSc, and BDS, respectively.

To become a doctor, you must start preparing for the entrance examinations from high school to get admission to the top medical College in India. 

I hope you liked our article on How to become a Doctor , if you have any comments or suggestions do share them in the comments below.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How many years does it take to become a doctor in India?

It takes around 5.5 years to become a doctor after completing an MBBS degree (4.5 years of degree and 1 year for medical internship).

This is followed by specialization in medicine (MD) or surgery (MS) - 2 years degree course. To become a dentist, it takes 5 years to complete BDS (4 years of degree and 1-year medical internship).

 After BDS, you can become a dental surgeon after completing MDS (2 years).
 

2. What are the steps to becoming a doctor in India?

The steps to becoming a doctor in India are:

• Complete 10+2 examination with an aggregate of at least 50% from any recognized board
  
  
• Give medical entrance test - NEET
  
  
• Complete MBBS degree (4.5 years)
  
  
• Complete one internship at a recognized institute
  
  
• Register yourself as a doctor under Indian Medical Register
  
  
• Start your medical practice

3. How to become a doctor in India after 12th?

To become a doctor after class 12th, you must give the entrance test, NEET (National Eligibility Entrance Test) to get admission to medical colleges. You must prepare for the exam during school (after 10th grade).

You can get admission to MBBS or BDS program after clearing the cutoff of the exam. This is followed by the admission process that requires counselling.

During counselling, you need to submit your original documents. You will get admission to a college.