How to Become a General Physician: Career Guide, Courses, After 12th, Top Colleges, Skills, Scopes, Jobs, Salary 2023

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Ahana Bhaduri

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One of the dignified professions, General Physicians, witnesses nearly 15000 candidates every year. A profession as a General physician is not an effortless one to pursue, one has to follow a few steps and an education of more than 5 years.

Eligibility to become a General Physicians is an MBBS Course and a Post Graduation (MD) course in general medicine.

Once the achievement of MBBS, MD, the general physicians can join any Primary Health Centers, Business organizations, Hospital, and Nursing homes. Once the candidate gets their license, then they can start practicing on their own. After the completion of MD, once the candidate starts practicing as a doctor, they will start earning INR 30,000 to 60,00,000.

Check Out: How to Become a Doctor

How To Become A General Physician: Quick Facts

Industry Healthcare
Eligibility 50% marks in class 12 with science stream
Average Annual Salary INR 2,00,000 – 60,00,000
Job Opportunity Healthcare centers, Government Hospitals, Private Hospitals, Multi Speciality Hospitals

All About Career as a General Physician

Out of the millions of candidates who desire to become doctors every year only 20% of the total candidates fulfill their dreams. The procedure to become a General Physician is very methodical and accurate, one has to spot on the subject combination in class 12th, eligibility criteria to appear for NEET, and also do an internship.

Find Out: MBBS Syllabus in Details

How to Become a General Physician: Subject Combination

Aspirant General Physicians should know that their choice of courses in class 12th will impact their MBBS Admission 2023 and MD Admission 2023. One must pursue Science subjects in their 12th class with Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics.

How to Become a Doctor: Eligibility Criteria

If a candidate is appearing for NEET in order to become a general physican then they must check the NEET eligibility criteria, and if they want to appear for NEET-PG, they should look for NEET-PG Eligibility criteria.

  • Candidates must have completed 17 years of age while taking admission in the undergraduate course.
  • The upper age limit to appear for NEET is 25 years which has a reduction upto 5 years for SC/ST/OBC/EWS.
  • In a foreign country Indian candidates who wish to pursue MBBS will also have to come into view for NEET.
  • In a foreign country Citizens of India, Non-Resident of India, Persons with Indian origin will have to track the regulations framed by the state government.
  • The NEET PG 2023 Eligibility Criteria is that the candidate is required to have an MBBS degree along with an internship to be completed on or before June 30, 2023.
  • Indian citizens or foreign citizens who have completed MBBS from Medical Colleges abroad and have qualified the FMGE Screening Test can apply for NEET-PG 2023 too.

Check Out: MBBS Abroad 

Entrance Exam Required

NEET is required for the students who wish to become a general physician

  • NEET is conducted by the National Testing Agency for all the candidates who want to pursue MBBS for the next 5 years. 
  • NTA conducts this exam in offline mode, and candidates must have completed their 12th class with relevant subjects. 
  • NEET is conducted in 11 special languages, and all other important information has been given below.
  • NEET PG is conducted by National Board of Examination (NBE) for those who want to pursue MD after qualifying MBBS.
  • NEET-PG is conducted online in the English language for a duration of 3 hrs 30 mins. 
  • NEET PG Question Paper is divided into 3 parts i.e. Pre-Clinical, Para-Clinical, and Clinical.

Role of a General Physician 

General physicians are consultants who take care of patients. General physicians only see patients who are referred to them by other doctors.

Global Approach 

Whether the referral identified one health problem or many health problems, it should always be noted that a general physician's assessment is always comprehensive. This kind of global approach enables problems to be detected which might otherwise be missed.

Complex Care 

General physicians are specially trained to take care of patients with complex illnesses, in which the diagnosis may be difficult. The broad training of general physicians provides them expertise in diagnosis and treatment of problems affecting different organ systems in a patient. They are also trained to deal with the social and psychological impact of disease on patients.

Procedures

General physicians are trained to carry out a variety of medical procedures and run medical tests for the diagnosis of problems and management of patients with severe and complex illnesses.

Diagnosis 

General physicians use diagnostic tests logically, safely, and effectively to investigate problems.

Treatment 

General physicians are trained in the analysis of research reports and drug industry claims about new treatments. They have plenty of knowledge about complex interactions of medications given simultaneously to treat multiple illnesses in a patient. The general physician has special expertise in making treatment calls to help patients with complex and serious illnesses.

Pre- and Post-Operative assessment 

General physicians review patients before surgery. They advise surgeons about potential patient's risk status and can recommend appropriate measures to minimise the risk of the operation. They can also assist in postoperative care and ongoing medical complications.

Steps to Follow to Become a General Physician

There are some significant steps that can be followed to know how to become General Physician after 12th, the steps that can be followed are given below:

Make a Decision

Before candidates start pursuing their career in the medical field, they must be aware of the subjects they need to study for MBBS and MD, whether they have interest in those subjects and how they can prepare for NEET. General physicians are required to work with utter dedication and for long and odd hours, so one must be mentally prepared for such hectic schedules ahead.

Choose the Right Subjects

The first and the primary step is to choose the correct subject for class 12th  subjects, such as Physics, Chemistry, Biology. These are the greatest subject combinations to take up medicine as a career option. Candidates have to be very sure that these subjects do not disinterest them, only then they can do higher studies in the medical field.

Prepare for NEET 2023

After appearing for class 12th candidate can appear for the NEET entrance examination and only after qualifying in NEET candidate would be able to start with their MBBS courses. After qualifying the NEET examination, every candidate would be given a particular college via counseling where they can start their bachelor course

Choose the Right College

If candidates are aiming to get admission in government colleges then they will have to score really high scores in NEET. If their score is less then they can go for any private medical Institution, which accepts their scores.

Pursue Internship

After finishing the 5 years course, every candidate has to do a one-year residential internship. Usually right after the course is complete, most candidates  are offered internships in their particular colleges.

How to Become a General Physician in India?

  • Candidates who wish to know how to become a General Physician in India must start preparation from class 10th onwards.
  • Every candidate who wants to become a General Physician must have science subjects such as physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics in class 12th. 
  • Candidates must prepare for NEET from class 11th in order to get high scores. Many institutes propose preparation and guidance for candidates who want to apply for NEET.
  • After completion of class 12th, candidates will have to clear the entrance examination and complete a 5 years MBBS course. 
  • The bachelor course is for 5 years in India and then will have to do an internship for 5 months.
  • After MBBS, the General Physician will do an internship for a year and then can pursue advanced education to become MD and MS which is the chief degree in doctor.

Find Out: MBBS Vs MD

Courses to Become a General Physicians

The courses to become a general physician in India are a 5.5 years MBBS course, followed by a 2 years MD course, preferably MD in General Medicine. One can get various job scope after doing MBBS. 

MBBS 

MBBS, full form, Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, is a 5.5-years duration course on medical science comprising a 1 year compulsory Internship that candidates need to do within these 5.5 years. 

MBBS Admission NEET 
MBBS Eligibility  50% marks in 10+2 or equivalent examinations with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology as compulsory subjects. Minimum age limit- 17 years.
MBBS Course Fee INR 1,000- 50,00,000
MBBS Colleges AIIMS, CMC Vellore, Lady Hardinge Medical College
MBBS Syllabus 9-semesters. Popular MBBS subjects include Anatomy, Pathology, Pharmacology, Paediatrics, Health & Medicine, Surgery, etc.
MBBS Abroad A bachelor’s degree from any science stream is required. For MBBS abroad admission, students need to apply for medical entrance exams such as MCAT, along with language test examinations such as IELTS, TOEFL, etc.
MBBS Salary INR 5-12 LPA

Check Out: Courses After MBBS

MD

MD in General Medicine is a 2 years postgraduate course in medicine pursued after MBBS to become a general physician. The eligibility for MD is a MBBS degree with minimum aggregate marks as required by the institute offering MD admissions.

MD Admission NEET-PG
MD Eligibility  MBBS degree with minimum aggregate marks as required by the institute.
MD Course Fee INR 10,000- 15,00,000
MD Colleges CMC Vellore, AFMC Pune, KMC Mangalore, Lady Hardinge College
MD Syllabus Applied basic science knowledge, Diseases with reference to General Medicine, Biostatistics and clinical epidemiology, Recent advances.
MD Abroad MBBS from a recognized institute/university. Top countries to pursue MD abroad- US, UK, New Zealand, China.
MD Salary INR 1-12 LPA

How to Become a General Physician Abroad

The top countries to become a general physician abroad are USA, UK, Canada and Australia. They offer MBBS course for a duration of 5-6 years, the eligibility to pursue MBBS abroad is passing of class 12th with biology as main subjects, clearing NEET with a valid score and passing NMAT test.

Eligibility

  • Candidates must have pursued biology in the previous course they studied.
  • Candidates will have to appear for the National Medical Admission test.
  • Candidates clearing the NMAT will be summoned for further rounds of discussion and interviews for admission.
  • Like Indian Medical Courses, all other medical courses abroad require an internship.
  • Some of the internships that are accepted by medical colleges abroad are: World Internship, ELI Internship, Cross Cultural Solutions, Projects Abroad, Volunteering journeys.

Colleges offering MBBS Courses Abroad 

College Name Duration Program Fee
University College London 6 years 236,178 GBP
Imperial College London 6 years 273,840 GBP
King's College London 5 years 151,330 GBP
Queen Mary University of London 5 years 196,815 GBP
University of Adelaide 6 years 456,000 AUD

Colleges offering MD Courses Abroad 

College Name Program Fee
University of Cambridge $21.3K/Yr
King's College London $35.6K/Yr
University of Wolverhampton $16.9K/Yr

Benefits of a Career as a General Physician

Being a General Physician is one of the most apparent professions and candidates have a variety of advantages of doing this job. If they have an adoration for science and medicine, then this profession may give all that they ask for in life. Here are some of the benefits given below:

High Pay

Physicians are one of the most well-paid professions in the world. According to a survey in 2018, the median salary of physicians increased up to 2.92% despite no or little increase in productivity.

Job Security

The job of a physician is very well secured as the number of patients increases day by day and hospitals have a lower number of physicians to treat them. Hence, the demand for physicians is only expected to increase and no chances of deployment is expected to occur.

Helping Others

Physicians derive satisfaction from helping others. The patients appreciate and respect the physicians who treat them, this gives them the motivation to work for the people and pursue a career as a general physician.

Career Progression

The career of a doctor has no end, finishing the MBBS is just the beginning. Then they will have to do an internship and then they will be recruited in some hospital as a permanent doctor. After becoming a doctor, they can also pursue a masters degree to become MS or MD. Then for the rest of their life they can treat a range of patients with various complexities and full of challenges.

Skills Required to Become a General Physician

Communication skills Critical thinking
Learning Skills Patience
Attention to detail Physical strength
Science skills Ability to work long and odd hours

Career as a General Physician: Top Recruiters

General physicians are employed in government and private hospitals. Most of them choose to open their own clinics and practice medicine. Some of the top recruiters of general physicians are mentioned below:

Lilavati Hospital and Research Centre Tata Memorial Hospital
Kokilaben Hospital Medanta (The Medicity)
Moolchand Hospital, New Delhi All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS)
PGIMER, Chandigarh Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi
Christian Medical College Vellore, Tamil Nadu Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi

Salary of a General Physician

The average monthly salary of a general physician is INR 1,51,500 in the government sector and INR 56,000 in the private sector. With years of experience, a head physician can earn around INR 12,10,529 per annum.

Sector Wise Salary

NAME OF ORGANISATION AVERAGE MONTHLY SALARY
Government INR 1,51,500
Private INR 56,000

Experience Wise Salary

Starting Salary per annum INR 2,46,258
Mid Level Salary per annum INR 5,96,394
Senior Level Salary per annum INR 12,10,529

How to Become a General Physician: FAQs

Ques. Can an MBA course be done after MBBS?

Ans. Yes, you can also do an MBA after MBBS because it is a bachelor’s course. Though your MBBS degree would not be very useful for doing MBA but you are eligible to do MBA.

Ques. To become a doctor which subjects do you need to study?

Ans. After qualifying the NEET, various subjects will be introduced, but at 12th class level, candidates have to study Physics, Chemistry, Biology.

Ques. After completing MBBS how can I start earning money?

Ans. You can start working in any hospital, or you might also start practicing at your individual clinic to earn money right away.

Ques. Which year of MBBS is difficult?

Ans. Generally the whole course of MBBS is tough, so there is no particular year which can be said is difficult. The difficulty level varies from one student to another depending on the subjects they find interesting or boring.

Ques. After 12th what should I do to become a General Physician?

Ans. After 12th, you will have to begin preparing for MBBS, and after qualifying in the NEET examination, counseling will be done to assign colleges to you according to the marks you obtain.

Ques. How many years does it take to become a General Physician?

Ans. It takes 5 years to complete the whole medical course MBBS, apart from that the preparation starts right from class 12th.

Ques. Is it difficult to become a General Physician?

Ans. It is not hard to become a General Physician. Candidate has to put some solemn effort and time and study a lot to become a General Physician. Practically, a candidate should have motivation and zeal to serve patients and become a General Physician.

Ques. How would a candidate become a General Physician Abroad?

Ans. Pursuing General Physician course abroad is one of the most sought after professions, candidates do not have to be bothered much about the future if they become doctors. The level of complexity of the course is almost related to what it is in India.

Doctorate of Medicine [MD] (General Medicine) : 7 answered questions

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Ques. How is the life of medicine PG in AIIMS Delhi? Is this the best for MD medicine?

● Top Answer By Shivam Negi on 30 May 23

Ans. The exact word to describe the life of a PG student in AIIMS Delhi is ‘hectic’. The MD Medicine program is quite challenging and tiring. A typical day in the life of a first-semester resident doing Medicine at AIIMS can be described as follows- You will have to wake up as early as 6:30 am and reach for work by 7. Managing to have your breakfast is a great achievement. You will have to reach your war and start sampling assigned by your seniors before 10 AM as no samples are accepted after 10. Next, you will start preparing for the clinical rounds and go through files and reports and be ready to present them to the consultant during rounds. These rounds are very tiring and sometimes extend till the afternoon. However, it's from these rounds that you will be gaining hands-on experience and learning new things every day Once the rounds end, you'll have to do tasks related to what you learned from the rounds. This may involve doing a bone marrow/ lumbar puncture/ pleural tap etc or fetching some reports. In the evening you will be going through the morning reports and discussing and planning the future plan for your patient. During this, you have to write notes in the clinical files. After this, it will be dinner time that marks the end of your work routine.  Additionally, there will be OPDs every third day, and Radio-conferences, clinical case discussion classes, Journal clubs, etc. Once you become a senior, things will be easier and you will have more time to study and involve yourself in academic activities. Coming to your second question, well AIIMS Medicine is considered the best in the whole of India. What makes it the best is its extremely qualified faculty, genius seniors, and excellent infrastructure. The institute mostly deals with diagnostic dilemmas referred from everywhere and this offers a fun and fulfilling experience to students in taking their case to a diagnosis. The real-time experience you will be getting just in the first year is undoubtedly the best one could ask for. Another major highlight of AIIMS is its diagnostics. You can get almost any investigation/ radiological procedure to back up your diagnosis.  Overall, as an MD student at AIIMS, you will surely experience a hectic life but the gratitude of your patients will leave you with a feeling of satisfaction. Read more
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Ques. Which is better: An integrated five years course into DM neurology (NIMHANS) or completing my MD in general medicine and then specializing in DM neurology?

● Top Answer By Bidita Ghose on 30 Sept 23

Ans. In my opinion, it’s best to complete an MD in medicine first rather than pursuing DM Neuro directly after MBBS.  It is so because M.B.B.S. students receive minimal clinical exposure and therefore their interest in a particular field might not be genuine. They might later regret their choice.  An integrated program is a 5-year program that requires a lot of commitment. So, if you go for a field you are not interested in, you will be wasting 5 years of your life. Even if you are sure of your interest in neurology, you may not actually like it when you start working. That being said, it's better that you do MD in medicine, have first-hand exposure to all the specialties, and then choose one for you.  People often choose integrated courses so as to save one year of education. However, they fail to recognize the risks involved.  Ultimately, unless you love neurology passionately and have enough exposure in the same, go for direct DM, else completing MD would be the safest bet. Read more
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Ques. Is it worth it to give up MD general medicine for MD emergency medicine at AIIMS Rishikesh? I am interested in both.

● Top Answer By Ritika Gusain on 30 May 23

Ans. That depends on what you value most in a career. Both MD General Medicine and MD Emergency Medicine are highly respected and challenging specializations, each with its own unique strengths and weaknesses. General Medicine is a broad field that covers the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of medical conditions. For this, you need to have a strong base in medical science, along with excellent diagnostic and problem-solving skills. MD Emergency Medicine, on the other hand, focuses on the immediate diagnosis and treatment of acute and life-threatening medical conditions, such as trauma, heart attacks, and stroke. For this, you need quick thinking, excellent clinical skills, and the ability to work well under pressure. Personally, I feel that you should have knowledge of both emergency and non-emergency situations because each and every disease has the complications that make it an emergency. However, academically you wouldn't get the recognition of a full-fledged medicine specialist. You can not opt for Superspeciality courses other than critical care.Read more
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Ques. What are the fees for Md at KMC Manipal?

● Top Answer By Namrata Das on 28 Sept 23

Ans. Here are the detailed fees for MD at KMC Manipal MD Anaesthesiology 2188000 MD Anatomy 495000 MD Biochemistry 495000 MD Community Medicine 1260000 MD Dermatology, Venereology & Leprosy 2870000 MD Emergency Medicine 2650000 MD Forensic Medicine 495000 MD General Medicine 2539000 MD Hospital Administration 1710000 Blood Transfusion 1960000 MD Immunohematology & MD Microbiology 1410000 MD Paediatrics 2870000 MD Palliative Medicine 1410000 MD Pathology 1960000 MD Pharmacology 1210000 MD Physiology 495000 MD Psychiatry 2188000 MD Radiodiagnosis 3398000 MD Radiotherapy 1990000 MD Respiratory Medicine 1990000 Hope this helps you!Read more
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Ques. Which is better for an MD in general medicine, KMC Manipal or Mangalore? I got allotted in KMC Mangalore. Should I need to upgrade?

● Top Answer By Pratik Parikh on 28 Sept 23

Ans. My friend was an MBBS Student at KMC Mangalore, so here are some highlights of the institute The clinics are well-equipped and the patient lod is also decent. Enjoys a good reputation among the medical colleges in India. It’s bad one private hospital, KMC Attavar, and one Super specialty hospital, KMC Jyothi Circle The workload is a lot because the hospital is completely managed by residents and interns. You will be responsible for everything from OPD to file maintenance to rounds to sample collection.  Students are required to be proficient in each case early in the morning as they will be enquired about every patient that they are allotted You have to update treatment and paperwork, attend class, and be ready to present short bedside cases. PG students have to attend a theory class in the morning and in the afternoon twice a week, there is short group teaching, with the presentation.  Students need to learn basic Kannada without which you won’t be able to interact with patients.  The hostel facilities are great and Mangalore is a city of students so it won’t be difficult to find good food at low prices, beaches, bars, clubs, malls, etc Mangalore is a port city so it's better connected than Manipal.  There is a dual rating system wherein the professors rate the students, and students rate the professors. This helps the college to keep a check on the quality of education and improve energy year. It will definitely be a great choice if you choose KMC Mangalore.Read more
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Ques. How is the MD Medicine course from KMC Manipal? Is it worth leaving a government seat in a tier 2 city?

● Top Answer By Sonal Mishra, on 28 Sept 23

Ans. Yes, it’s definitely worth leaving a government seat in a tier 2 city to pursue an MD Medicine course from KMC Manipal. Here are some benefits you will avail yourself if you choose this You won’t have to serve any kind of bond It’s an international campus which has a diverse crowd from all over the world so the campus facilities are excellent It has around 3000 beds and excellent facilities like infertility care, Chest & allergy care, Medical genetics & gastroenterology. Students are hence exposed to excellent techniques. It enjoys good connectivity via Mangalore airport around 1.5 -- 2 hours from Mangalore. KMC Manipal has an excellent academic culture and sees results in every competitive examination .  Hope this helps you!Read more
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Ques. What is the number of MD/MS seats at PGIMER Chandigarh?

● Top Answer By Praniti Ranjan, on 23 Nov 21

Ans. The number of MD/MS seats at PGIMER Chandigarh changes every year, every session, according to your category (General, OBC, SC, ST, Sponsored, etc.) and branch or department. This is because for every session admission to the vacant seats is based on the previous pass-outs in that branch or department. It also depends on the demand of a particular work in that department and other factors. Check the JSP Page website - pgimer.edu.in before every session to get the exact number of seats available in that particular session. This session there are a total of 148 seats and 33 of them are for the General category students.Read more
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