Every candidate who aspires to pursue a career as a healthcare professional comes to a juncture where they need to choose the right specialization for the career path they have visualized. Although the world is seeing diversification in career choices, choosing a career in the field of Medical and Healthcare is still among the top choices.
Each year about 1.5 million students appear for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). The qualifying candidates can apply for courses like MBBS, BDS, BVSc. AH, B.Pharm, etc. There are a little over 90,000 MBBS seats available in India through NEET-UG.
The Medical and Healthcare sector encapsulates a wide range of sectors from hospitals, to medicines, to laboratories and equipment, and a lot more. To cater to these services, there are a number of courses offered in the fields of Allied Health, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health and Fitness, Laboratory Technologies, etc. The world is seeing an increasing demand for courses like B.Sc in Allied Health Sciences, B.Sc. nursing, B.Sc in Biotechnology, a Bachelor degree in Optometry, etc.
Apart from those mentioned above, there are a plethora of diploma courses available in the field of Medical and Health Sciences, like Diploma in Cardiology, Diploma in Medical Laboratory Technologies, and many more.
There are multiple institutes both government and private offer courses in the Medical and Healthcare sector like the AIIMS Delhi, Banaras Hindu University, Aligarh Muslim University, M S Ramaiah Medical College, Medical College Kolkata, Christian Medical College Vellore, Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, etc.,
The graduating students can get career opportunities in various Healthcare sectors like Hospitals, Private Clinics, Pharmaceutical Industry, Research Centers, Laboratories, etc. The scope of a career in the Medical and Healthcare field is among the most in demand and is accompanied by a handsome payscale. It is also one of the most reputable and noble professions.
The aspiring candidates need to qualify for their 10+2 board examinations from a recognized board or Council in India. They also need to qualify the required entrance examinations like National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test (GPAT), West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination (WBJEE) (MBBS), etc. as well as various other examinations conducted at the central level and state level or by individual institutes.
There are a number of courses available in the Medical and Healthcare sector along with the Allied Health Sciences, Nursing, etc. Apart from the contemporary fields of medicine, one can also opt for Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy or AYUSH courses. The candidates can segregate their interests and opt for any of the many courses available. The below-mentioned courses are some of the top Medical and Healthcare courses that can be pursued at the undergraduate level.
Top Medical Courses include:
These courses generally occupy a duration of 5.5 years except for B.Pharm which is a 4-year course.
Apart from the above-mentioned, the top courses in Allied Health Sciences include:
These courses generally commence for a duration of 3-4 years.
There are also a number of diploma courses that the students can avail of. Some of the top diploma courses include:
These Diploma courses span a duration of 2-3 years.
Apart from the courses mentioned above, the candidates can also apply for a Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.) in Biomedical Engineering which is an amalgamation of Medical and Engineering Courses and is completed in 4 years. One can also opt for an integrated course like the integrated B.Pharm+MBA degree which is a 5-year course.
There are plenty of other undergraduate and diploma courses as well being offered by multiple institutes throughout the country which help the candidates pursue a career in the field of Medical and Healthcare.
The nation has well over 500 institutes offering undergraduate courses in Medical and Healthcare, Allied Health Sciences, Pharmacy, Nursing, etc.
There are institutes which are the dream aspirations of the candidates aiming for a career in the Medical and Healthcare field. These institutes provide relevant theoretical and practical knowledge to the students and are among the best institutes in the country.
Here is a list of the top 50 institutes of India offering an undergraduate degree in the Medical and Healthcare sector:
Some of the institutes providing the courses have been declared as the Institutes of National Importance by the Ministry of Education, Government of India. These institutes are recognized by the Government of India as a major premier public institutions of higher education which are responsible for developing highly skilled personnel within the country. They are:
There are a number of institutes which provide top-tier education to BDS candidates. Some of these include:
Apart from these colleges, a number of Pharmacy institutes train their students to be outstanding professionals. The following institutes are a few among them:
Candidates who want to pursue a diploma degree can opt for the below-mentioned institutes which are a few of the many:
The fees for pursuing a medical degree in India witnesses a wide range. The fees for pursuing an MBBS degree differ widely in government institutes and private institutes. The average fees for pursuing MBBS from government institutes can range from INR 20,000 to INR 7.5 Lakhs, whereas the range of fees for completing an MBBS from private colleges in India ranges from an estimated INR 15 Lakhs to more than INR 1 Cr. Apart from the regular fee structure, students are also admitted through management quota where the fees range from an estimated INR 4 Lakhs to INR 20 Lakhs. There are several other quotas as well like, the NRI quota, Government Quota, etc. in private colleges.
The course fees for pursuing a degree in B.Pharm from government colleges range from an average of INR 15,000 to INR 6 Lakhs, whereas in private institutes the fees range from around INR 32,000 to INR 20 Lakhs.
The fees for completing a diploma degree would cost around INR 12,000 to INR 2Lakhs from a government institute and the fees would range from INR 40,000 to more than INR 40 Lakhs in private institutes.
Pursuing a degree in MBBS is rigorous and the preparation for the entrance exams is a test of patience as well as merit. To pursue a degree in MBBS, the candidates must:
All the candidates must appear for and secure good scores in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) which is conducted by the National Testing Academy (NTA). The above-mentioned criteria also hold true for the AYUSH courses through NEET, viz., BDS, BAMS, BUMS, BVSc. AH, BHMS, BNYS, etc.
Apart from NEET, there are several other entrance exams at the national and state levels. At the national level, the top entrance exams other than NEET for MBBS include:
At the state level, there are several entrance exams for admission to the MBBS degree. Some of the most prestigious entrance exams among them include:
There are other entrance exams being conducted at the institute level by certain institutes for admission to MBBS courses as well.
Apart from MBBS, candidates seeking admission in the B.Pharm course need to have the following eligibility criteria:
There are a number of exams that are conducted for candidates seeking admission in the B.Pharm courses. Some of them include:
Candidates seeking admission in the B.Sc courses in the Medical and Healthcare field along with Allied Health Sciences must:
Students must qualify in one or more of the following entrance examinations to get enrolled:
Apart from the entrance exams mentioned above, there are other examinations as well that are conducted for getting enrolled in the B.Sc. courses in the Medical and Healthcare sector as well as in Allied Health Sciences.
The candidates who want to pursue a diploma degree in this field must:
The students pursuing a degree in the Medical and Healthcare sector along with the Allied Health Sciences must not only be meritorious and score good marks but they should also be skilful to make a mark for themselves. A few of the many skills that make a medical candidate stand out from the crowd include:
The students should also learn and abide by the Hippocratic Oath which includes a pledge, a list of positive obligations, a list of negative obligations and a concluding duty.
The field of Medical and Healthcare as well as that of Allied Health Sciences is one of the most prestigious and noble professions recognized unanimously all over the nation as well as all over the world. A career in this field includes a lot of variable and exciting options. After completing a degree in MBBS, a candidate may pursue the following career options:
The following sectors are a few that offer career options to MBBS degree holders:
There are a number of alternative career options available after MBBS as well. Some of the most notable options among them are:
The salary that an MBBS graduate draws on average ranges from around INR 3 LPA to INR 6 LPA. With experience and reputation, this figure may rise above INR 12 LPA or even more depending on the area of employment, specialization, exposure, etc. These figures are only indicative and may vary by large scales based on other parameters.
A candidate holding a degree in B.Pharm may find the following career options suitable:
There are multiple other career options available for B.Pharm graduates as well. The B.Pharm graduates might find themselves in industries like:
A B.Pharm graduate typically earns INR 1 LPA to INR 4 LPA on average.
The career options after graduating from a non-MBBS course are also vast. A candidate can opt for:
A graduate with a non-MBBS degree may earn INR 1 LPA as a fresher to INR 10 LPA with around 5 years of experience. There are several parameters like employment area, organization, skills, etc. among other factors that create a difference in the average salary being offered to the candidates.
There are an increasing number of other viable career options as well which the candidates may pursue apart from the ones above mentioned. They may also pursue higher studies and improve their skills in fields of specialization to see a steep rise in their career graph. A graduate may choose among the few among many options available after their graduation in the Medical and Healthcare field: