How to Become a Doctor: Complete Career Roadmap

Becoming a doctor is a dream of many students from India, so queries for knowing how to become a doctor are high. The field of medicine is a vast field, and many students choose the medical field for the vast expansion and opportunities it provides. The aim to become a doctor requires some specific considerations and steps to follow. Students who choose to pursue a career in this field must make sure that they are ready for it.

After high school, or even during their high school days, some students aim to become doctors in the future and wonder how to become a doctor after 12th. Most of the students in India are unaware of what it takes to become a full-fledged doctor, and they wonder how to become a doctor with the right steps. It is a very demanding field and requires a lot of patience and dedication. If you are one of the students who is ready to take on the path to become a doctor, keep reading further and learn more about the steps to become a doctor.

The Early Preparation in Becoming a Doctor

The students in high school who said, I want to become a doctor, were aware that the biggest preparation for becoming a doctor will require them to take the PCB education stream. PCB is a main requirement for any Indian student in any country to pursue medical education and become a successful doctor in the future. MBBS abroad, too, will require Indian students to have the PCB as a prerequisite requirement to be eligible for filling out the application form for admission.

PCB, which consists of subjects—physics, chemistry and biology—which are the main subjects that a student needs to study and qualify for in their 12th board exams. The significance of studying PCB in secondary education is paramount, and it is the answer to a common query by students who ask, “Which subject is best for doctor?” PCB provides them with a strong foundation for basic concepts related to medical sciences and prepares them for the NEET-UG – a very big requirement to take admission, either in India or for MBBS abroad.

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Mandatory Requirements to Practice as a Doctor in India

Taking the NEET-UG exam is a non-negotiable requirement for admission to a university and pursuing an MBBS course. NEET (National Eligibility Entrance Test) is an entrance examination for all the Indian students to take admission in medical universities, whether private or public. NEET is a mandatory part of how to become MBBS doctor due to NMC guidelines, which is a medical body in India that regulates medical education and practice.

The National Medical Commission (NMC) of India makes the NEET-UG examination a mandatory requirement for every Indian student to become a doctor in the future, among the many other requirements to get admission into a medical university for pursuing MBBS. This requirement applies to how to become a doctor, whether you are pursuing higher education in India or studying abroad. Without NEET, you will not be able to clear FMGE or NeXT (yet to be officially implemented), the licensing exams of India that allow any medical graduate to be a legal medical practitioner in India.

As per the guidelines as mentioned in the Gazette of India by the National Medical Commission:

• Duration of any MBBS course shall be 54 months for program and 12 months for the internship, popularly known as clinical rotation
• English language must be the main language of instruction for the course
• There are a total of 19 primary subjects in the curriculum of the MBBS course
• A valid license provided by the medical institution providing MBBS course
• The medical university should be recognised by any authorised medical body in the country (such as NMC for India)
• Minimum age limit for MBBS in India is 17 years old at the time of the application

The Steps to Become a Doctor After 12th

To become a doctor, whether in India or abroad, there are particular requirements which an Indian student needs to follow to gain admission to a medical university and pursue an MBBS program. Once the student is clear about it, the process of becoming a doctor becomes a straightforward guide with practical efforts and a metaphorical test of patience.

There are general steps to be followed to know how to become a doctor in the future very soon, and these involve the following steps:

Understanding the Eligibility Criteria for the Admission

To pursue an MBBS program from any medical university, whether in India or abroad, an Indian student should meet these general eligibility criteria for admission:

• Completed 10+2 with PCB having at least 50% or above
• Age has to be at least 17 years old at the time of the admission
• Should be a NEET-UG qualified student
  • Same year NEET for Indian admission
  • 3 years NEET to pursue MBBS abroad

Apply for the Admission (and Visa Application)

Once you meet the eligibility criteria, apply for the admission through the university’s official website. Submit the application with all the required documents and wait for the invitation letter from the university. If the process to becoming a doctor is abroad, then apply for the visa application and fly to the destination country to be rewarded with a degree after completion of the entire MBBS course, including a year-long clinical experience/internship.

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Get a Valid Medical License or Pursue Postgraduation

You are eligible to be considered a doctor, but still, if you wonder: “after the MBBS what to do become a doctor,” then there are two possibilities for you as a medical graduate from India:

• If you studied abroad, give the FMGE exam and clear it with qualifying marks
• For MBBS graduates from an Indian university, take the NEET-PG examination
• Complete a 1-Year Compulsory Rotatory Residential Internship (CRRI) in India
• Get registered as a medical practitioner with State Medical Council or NMC

Start Working or Get a Level of Medical Specialisation

After getting a valid medical licence, an Indian medical graduate student is a full-fledged doctor. Their answer to ask - how to become a doctor, comes to a rest at this particular point. They can start working as either a general physician or be employed at a private hospital or government clinic or have their own clinic to diagnose and treat patients. There is another level of medical doctor qualifications they can try to pursue. This is applicable whether you have pursued an MBBS in a foreign country or in India. This other level is a PG degree and entering into a specialisation. Some of these (clinical) specialisations include:

• Radiology
• Dermatology
• Medicine
• Paediatrics
• Psychiatry
• General Surgery
• ENT/Otorhinolaryngology
• Ophthalmology
• Pathology
• Anaesthesiology
• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Anatomy/Biochemistry/Physiology (non-clinical specialisations)

Conclusion

The journey to how to become a doctor is a long and tedious one but is very rewarding and fulfilling at the same time. The profession of doctor is a very prominent profession and provides the medical aspirants with both respect and responsibility. The kind of value a doctor has and the role this profession plays in the well-being of our society are very significant.

Are you wondering how many years it takes to become a doctor? It takes about 10-11 years to become a doctor with a particular specialisation. Though it all depends on the educational qualifications you choose to have in the medical educational field. If a student is pursuing an MBBS degree, which makes anyone eligible to be considered for getting a “doctor” title, the duration is up to 6-7 years. However, with a specialisation, it will take about 10 years to become a doctor.

Free Counselling For Study MBBS Abroad

Indian students are choosing to study MBBS abroad due to the exciting opportunities and overall experience it provides in the affordable price range, the same as any private medical college in India. Students who study abroad not only get exposed to a different and better study environment but also find an altogether different culture among students.

Get in touch with Education Vibes if you wish to study abroad for your higher studies in the medical field and want to become a successful doctor in the future.