Career Options, Course Details, Eligibility, Top Colleges, Salary

Overview MBBS being a noble profession also promises a rewarding career. Now that you have completed your MBBS study, you must be thinking what’s next? Many MBBS Graduates get confused when it comes to choose between MS or MD. What are the best options after MBBS? Should you start doing job straight completing your MBBS or go for further studies? These typical questions hover in the mind of medical aspirants, where they find themselves absolutely in a no man’s land. If this is your worry, you have come to the right place as we are here to clear all your doubts regarding what to do and how to proceed after completing your MBBS:

Entrance examinations after MBBS

For Medical Post Graduate courses in MD and MS, candidates need to take the Common Entrance Test – NEET PG (National Eligibility and Entrance Test). CET papers include the syllabus of all 3 years. The branch is chosen during the time of counselling. It’s a must for students to know their area of interest and aptitude in order to choose their branch or stream accordingly.

The difference between MS and MD

MS is Masters in General Surgery while MD is Masters in General Medicine. Both are Post Graduation courses and can be pursued only after the successful completion of MBBS study. In general terms, MD is area of study of which deals in non-surgical branch while MS strictly and specifically deals in surgical area of study. To make it simple, if your dream is to become a heart surgeon or neurosurgeon, you must opt for MS after MBBS. And, if you are aspiring to become a general physician, go for MD degree.

There are several branches of study in MS and MD. Depending upon the area of interest and passion, MBBS graduates can choose their stream and subject accordingly. After successfully completing MD or MS course, you can apply for jobs in government and private sector hospitals. In addition, you can also start a clinic, nursing home or hospital of your own. One more option for Medicine Graduates is they can join any medical college as a teaching faculty.

Future prospects of MS and MD

The prospects of MS and MD vary in terms of job roles, profiles, and salaries. A person who has MS will become a surgeon while a person who has done MD will become a physician. It is quite normal that a surgeon will always have more responsibilities and duties than a physician. Moreover, a surgeon will earn lot more than a general physician. Nevertheless, the incubation period in MS is longer than that of MD. A surgeon with a more deep study of medicine can also do the job a general physician however a physician cannot become a surgeon.

However, it completely depends on an individual’s aptitude, passion and interest while choosing between MS or MD. The career prospects in both the areas are good and are bound to grow in the coming time.

Popular specializations in MD & MS

The popular specializations in MD and MS are as follows:

Usually, it takes 3 years to complete MMS or MD, however for a master specialisation; a candidate needs to spend 2 more years after MS or MD.

Salary packages after completing MD and MS

After completing your Post Graduation and Super Specialization in Medicine, You can either work in hospital or medical college as a teaching faculty to gain more experience or start your own private clinic in collaboration with a private hospital. As a teacher in a medical college, one can easily earn up to Rs.60, 000 per month.

The salary of a Surgeon entirely depends on the experience, talent and skill of an individual. On an average, a surgeon can earn Rs.1 Lakh per month after MS. For skilled surgeons sky is the limit.

The salary of a general physician and surgeon also depends upon the types of clinic, city, hospital set-up and medical specializations. A person employed in a well-established hospital in metro cities will definitely earn more than a doctor from a rural area .

Popularity of MD or MS in India

The fact remains the same that a candidate must make choose their stream very carefully based on their interest and aptitude. Be it MD or MS, it’s entirely up to the candidates to make a choice between the subject of study rather than getting influenced by the things of outside world. MS as a subject is only for those who have a passion for it and not for those who are weak hearted. It’s all about the right blend of artistic skills, knowledge, passion, dedication and hard work that will make you excel in this profession.

The percentage of aspirants going for MD and MS are more or less same. However, now-a-days, candidates are also opting MBA in Hospital Administration after completing MBBS. Some of them also prefer to prepare for IAS exam to get into governance of health and medical services after MBBS.

Top institutes to study MD/ MS

Some of the top medical institutes to pursue MD or MS courses are as follows:

• AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences), New Delhi
• CMC (Christian Medical College), Vellore
• SGPGI (Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences),Lucknow
• JIPMER (Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research), Pondicherry
• PGI (Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research), Chandigarh
• St John’s Medical College, Bangalore
• Stanley Medical College, Chennai
• AFMC, Pune
• Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi

Hospital Management has emerged as the hottest career option for MBBS Graduates. This is the ideal career option for those who don’t to work as physician or surgeon but willing to work as a manger. Moreover, Hospital Management is a rewarding career option and doesn’t come stiff work duties as in the case of general physician or surgeon. The salary package in hospital management is also good. IIMs (Indian Institute of Management) offer this course, which promises 100% campus placement. The time duration of this course is 2 years.       

Clinical Practice

Clinical practice has also become popular among MBBS graduates who don’t want to pursue higher studies but want to set up their clinics. Clinical practice not only promises financial freedom but also provides the space to work at your own pace. After completing your MBBS, you can start your own nursing home or hospitals depending upon the budget, workforce and skill set you have.

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