How to Become a Doctor in India

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The medical profession is highly sought in India. Changing lifestyles, high-stress careers and a burgeoning population in India has caused a high demand for medical services. Studying medicine in India is a competitive process and requires specialized education starting at the undergraduate level, which is earlier than required in the United States. Every year, about 1.6 million aspiring medical students compete for a few thousand seats.

1 Enroll

Aspiring doctors should enroll in a science-heavy curriculum in high school. Take electives in biology, chemistry and physics, as these will prepare you to take the highly competitive entrance exams for medical schools.

2 Take the required entrance exams required

Take the required entrance exams for each medical college to which you apply. You may have to take several exams, as some colleges -- such as the All India Institute for Medical Sciences -- have a specific entrance exam. In other cases, there are statewide medical entrance exams. If you are applying to medical schools in multiple states, you may have to take a separate exam for each state.

3 Enroll in a bachelor rsquo s degree in medicine in a bachelor rsquo s degree in medicine

Enroll in a bachelor’s degree in medicine at a medical college. Unlike in the United States, a prospective medical student in India has to obtain a specialized bachelor’s degree called a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS). This is typically a four and a half year program. The MBBS degree includes courses in many fields including pathology, microbiology, pharmacology, toxicology and other essential medical subject areas.

4 Perform an internship of six months

Graduates with an MBBS degree typically perform an internship of six months to a year, in which they gain clinical experience working in different rotations in a hospital. At this point, an Indian doctor is qualified to become licensed by the State Medical Council of the relevant state and to practice medicine.

5 Continue their medical educations

Doctors may continue their medical educations by pursuing post-graduate studies . These will lead to an MD degree in a specialized field such as general medicine, psychiatry or orthopedics. While an MBBS is eligible to practice medicine, an MD will land more prestigious and higher-paying assignments.

Nick Botero began writing professionally in 2009. Already, he has more than 100 articles on eHow, and he maintains a few creative blogs on Blogger. Botero has a Master of Arts in public policy from the University of Maryland.

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