During MBBS, students remain busy with studies & don’t get time to think on what they would be doing after MBBS. After internship, unless you got admission in PG, a vacuum sets in.
Although pursuing PG is the most popular & most correct option, let’s discuss some options which are open for MBBS candidates:
Private practice: According to National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-3, the private medical sector remains the primary source of health care for 70% population in urban areas and 63% in rural areas. Various surveys have indicated a steady increase in the usage of private healthcare facilities over the last 25 years for both Out Patient and In Patient services, across rural and urban areas. There are largely, 2 ways of entering private health care sector for MBBS candidates:
- Working in corporate hospital as a house-man: This has disadvantages of having rotating duties, status subordinate to specialists & no opportunity of promotion or progress.
- Setting own private practice: Although statistics above may give a very favorable picture of private practice, the ground reality is establishing a private set-up requires significant investment. In remote areas, people cannot pay for private health care services. In cities, where people have paying capacity, clearly prefer specialists over plain MBBS doctors.
Government job: Periodically there’s recruitment for posts of Medical Officers at Central Government, State Government & local corporation levels. Indian Defense Ministry recruits MBBS graduates for their army hospitals and emergency services. This has disadvantages of getting posted at undesirable locations, facing transfers, status subordinate to specialists & no opportunity of promotion or progress. Few decades back, MBBS doctors used to exercise this option & prepare for PG Entrance exams. But now Medical Officers at all levels are overloaded with work & are strictly monitored.
Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical industries: These industries need MBBS doctors as Medical Advisors for pharmaco-vigilance, pharmaco-surveilance & clinical trials.
MBBS doctors with PG qualification have bigger opportunities in all above sectors as compared to plain MBBS candidates.
Teaching faculties in medical colleges: This opportunity is open only for PG Degree holders. Plain MBBS candidates do not have this career opportunity. Since number of medical colleges are increasing, this is a very good opportunity. The faculties at medical colleges get very well paid as well as there are ample opportunities for promotions & progress.
Why is MD/MS must after MBBS? Is MBBS degree not enough?
- Allopathic medicine is a vast science with many different specialties. Decades ago, having a MBBS degree was enough to convince and treat patients. But in the current scenario people are more educated, they want the best treatment from the best doctor. How much ever proficient you are in treating your patients people now prefer specialists over plain MBBS.
- Due to internet people already have lot of information about their diseases and want to get treated from the best specialists.
- Post graduate doctors do economically far better, usually 5 to 10 times, than their MBBS counterparts.
- PG doctors can work as teaching faculties in medical colleges & are paid decently.
Economic aspects of doing PG after MBBS
- Fees for a PG seat in private medical colleges range from 30 lakhs to 1.5 crore Rs! Fees for a PG seat in government medical colleges range from 10,000 to 70,000 Rs annually! So the choice is very clear!
Government medical colleges offer a decent stipend to PG students to the tune of Rs 50,000 to 1 lakh per month! So it’s ‘earn while you learn’ strategy if you get a PG seat in government medical college. You become economically independent and can support your family immediately after MBBS.
