MS (Master of Surgery) - Course, Eligibility, Admission, Syllabus, Salary, Scope

What is MS (Master of Surgery)?

Master of Surgery commonly known as MS is a three year postgraduate programme designed for aspirants to have comprehensive knowledge and skills in surgical training. Candidates pursuing an MS degree will go through the high quality health care details and the advancement in the cause of science and medical fields through having deeper research & training. The course Master of surgery provides all the necessary and scientific knowledge to become a surgeon in their respective area of specialization. The study of MS degree comprises the learning about the common diseases along with the study and method to diagnose it with proper treatment.

Advantages of MS (Master of Surgery)

Some of the advantages of pursuing a master of surgery are:

1. One can acquire some excellent ward management as well as postoperative management skills

2. Being a surgeon , the other branches of specialisation give an individual some extra respect as it is considered as one of the most difficult masters degree.

3. As a surgeon one can operate on several patients with a wide variety of surgeries. Therefore, the field is so vast that one must go for a masters degree.

4. Not only that, a master of surgery can help in easy placements in the semi urban or urban areas with a better pay package.

Types of MS (Master of Surgery)

MS (Master of Surgery) is a postgraduate degree and it is mandatory for students to complete their MBBS degree before proceeding for their MS degree studies. Medical Council of India (MCI) regulates post graduate medical education in the country. The regulations postulated by MCI are referred to as “The Postgraduate Medical Education Regulations 2000.”

MCI Regulations for MS Education

• Duration - Post graduate medical education degree courses, like Master of Surgery (MS), will have a duration of three years

• Curriculum - The authorities have decided upon a competency based MS academic curriculum

• Learning - There will be self-directed and autonomous learning

• Assessments - A necessary ingredient in the PG program is formative and summative assessment

• Approach - To achieve systemic exposure to different subspecialties of a discipline a modular approach is recommended

• Participation - In order to learn the needs of a community active participation in community-based activities is sought

Major components of MS curriculum:

• Theoretical knowledge

• Practical and clinical skills

• Thesis skills

• Attitudes including communication skills

• Training in research methodology

Master of Surgery (MS) Eligibility

NEET PG exam is conducted by National Board of Examinations (NBE) and is the basis of admission to the MS degree course among all medical colleges in India. There are some exceptional colleges which are established by an act of parliament like JIPMER and AIIMS. These colleges have their own procedure of examination and admissions. To pursue MS courses in the medical colleges candidates have to fulfil certain NEET PG eligibility criteria which includes age limit, academic qualification and internship requirements.

Eligibility criteria of NEET PG for Master of Surgery course

• Degree - Candidates must possess MBBS degree or provisional MBBS pass certificate

• Registration certificate - Aspirants must obtain provisional or permanent registration certificate issued by MCI or State Medical Council (SMC)

• Internship - Candidates ,must complete one year rotatory internship and get the completion certificate of the same issued by March 31 of the academic year

To read the full details of NEET PG eligibility criteria -Click Here

Institutes like AIIMS, JIPMER and PGIMER will conduct their own individual exams and consequently may have their own eligibility criteria. Please note that the broad criteria may remain the same, like an applicant needs to be an MBBS degree holder, but there may be some minor points that the candidate needs to be aware of. To read the eligibility criteria specific to these exams, refer the table below:

Eligibility criteria for MS exams other than NEET PG

Master of Surgery Admissions

Admissions to the postgraduate course of MS is done on the basis of NEET PG examination. Every year around 1.5 lakh candidates register for NEET PG out of which in the year 2019, a total of 79,633 candidates qualified the same and a significant number of them opted for MS. It must also be noted that institutes like AIIMS, JIPMER PG and PGIMER are not covered by NEET PG as they conduct their own exams. There are more than 200 medical colleges in the nation that offer MS courses and the total seat intake of these colleges is 10826.

NEET PG is conducted nationwide by the National Board of Education (NBE) and is the common exam for admission to both MS and MD courses. It is at the time of counselling that the candidates have to choose whether they wish to opt for MD or MS. The allotment of seats will be on the basis of merit rank of each candidate and score.

MS seats to be filled on the basis of NEET PG

• 50% All India quota seats (all except erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir)

• State quota seats. (including Jammu & Kashmir)

• All Private Medical Colleges, Institutions & Universities/Deemed Universities

• Armed Forces Medical Services Institutions

• DNB Broad specialty courses

Qualifying Percentile for NEET PG

The qualifying percentile, commonly known as cutoff, is the minimum percentile that a candidate is required to score in the examination to qualify. This means that if any candidate scores below the minimum qualifying percentile, s/he will not be permitted to participate in the admission processes. It must be noted that NEET PG cutoff is category specific, thus, candidates are required to refer to the qualifying percentile mentioned in the column of their category. Another important point is that candidates need to keep in mind is that the qualifying percentile reflected in the table is not the same as raw score and that it is only a reflection of a candidate's performance in comparison to their scores.

NEET PG 2020 qualifying percentile

Top MS (Master of Surgery) Exams

• NEET PG

• AIIMS PG

• PGIMER

• JIPMER PG

• NIMHANS PG exam

• Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology PG entrance exam

Master of Surgery (MS) - Course

Master of surgery itself is a course. However, there are several specialisations available in the degree which are mentioned in the article below.

Master of Surgery (MS) Specializations

The specialisations and course that are available and can be chosen by MS aspirants while completing their postgraduate degree are:

• ENT (Ears, nose, and throat)

• Obstetrics & Gynaecology

• Orthopaedics

• General Surgery

• Ophthalmology

• Otorhinolaryngology

• Traumatology & Surgery

Master of Surgery (MS) curriculum includes

• Discussion on clinical cases

• Various seminars, journal clubs and patient care services are organised

• Provided with hands-on experience of assisting and performing supervised surgeries

• Clinical training in operation rooms and cadaveric dissection lab for improving the clinical skills in the field of otorhinolaryngology.

Master of Surgery Syllabus

Candidates can go through the below mentioned syllabus of MS degree, which an aspirant has to go through while completing the postgraduate degree.

Syllabus for ENT and General Surgery

Syllabus for Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Ophthalmology

Syllabus fo Orthopaedics

Master of Surgery - Roles and Salary offered

Aspirants after completing their postgraduate can bag lots of job roles with handsome salary. Candidates can go through the various roles which they can opt for after completing the MS degree. In respect of money, MS graduates easily earn more than a medical graduate as a major surgery costs higher money and dedication than an average salary of a physician. There are many hospitals across our country, where job opportunities are vast for the MS graduates.

Job roles and Salary after MS

Scope of MS (Master of Surgery)

In today's world, where health is the primary concern for everyone, the scope of MS in India and abroad is very high. People now are more approaching the doctors who are specialists in it. The scope of Master of Surgery (MS) in India is very wide and variable. It depends on the respective aspirants skills, knowledge, calibers and the place they are practicing. The course of MS is very career oriented and serves the society with its application. MS is a degree, as after completing this, candidates not only are benefited with money but also with the value and respect in the societies. Working as a surgeon may be tough & challenging but it is of gratification at the same time. Careers in surgery are always rewarding as surgeons use to serve the health of the nation.

Careers opportunities after MS (Master of Surgery)

It is an interesting fact about MS courses that candidates pursuing the same are exposed to a lot of exciting and new opportunities which includes a better package and higher security. There has not been much increase in specialty and super-specialty hospitals far and near in recent years and this is going to remain a trend for quite some time. This in other ways means that there will be ever increasing demands for MS specialists in the medicine field. Some careers options for MS degree holders are mentioned-below:

• Medical clinic - The leisure of having a medical clinic privately owned by a doctor is not something that everybody can afford to set up. It benefits a medical practitioner in various ways like having private ownership over the medical clinic, setting visiting hours and fees on a convenience basis, location of the clinic can be any and much more. One of the much more important things required to pursue this career is a clear conscience. It is very important that a medical practitioner remains ethical and doesn't resort to unethical ways of earning

• Government job - There is a huge demand for doctors in railways, public sector, and other government initiatives, like NRHM. This is also sure to provide the practitioners with job satisfaction and high security

• Private jobs - India has a number of hospitals which are highly rated in India as well as internationally acclaimed. Some of these are Fortis, Medanta, Apollo Hospitals. It is not unknown that even the communities abroad are looking up to India in praise of its potential as a medical destination. The private sector is booming and this in turn means that there is and will be a high demand of doctors which includes those who pursued MS

• Continue studies - Candidates also have an option to keep continuing with their higher studies and pursue super specialty or Magister Chirurgiae. The course duration is three years, with degree holders frequently lapped up by super-specialty hospitals. It must be noted that doctors who hold this degree are the best paid in this profession.