How many subjects are there in MBBS course in India? And which are they?
These might be the questions in the minds of every medical medical aspirant out there.
And here’s the answer- we study a total of 19 subjects in 9 semesters during MBBS course.
It might seem a lot, but all these subjects are interrelated in one way or another.
In this post here I’m just introducing all the subjects in MBBS for the curious minds out there.
Jump in!
Pre-clinical subjects
Anatomy
It’s the study of the structure of the human body.
Our course also covers other disciplines that come under anatomy- embryology, radiology, neuroanatomy and histology along with general and gross anatomy.
Physiology
Physiology is the study of how a human body works.
It deals with the functions and activities of life or of living matter like organs, organ systems, tissues etc.
Basically, we learn about the normal mechanism of the body.
Biochemistry
This subjects deals with the chemical aspects of life- the various enzymatic reactions, their components and their inter-relations are mainly discussed.
You might remember kreb’s sycle, don’t you ?
It’s basically a lot of kreb’s cycles. And some more *wink*
Para-clinical subjects
Pharmacology
In pharmacology, we learn about various drugs used in medicine for the treatment of various diseases.
It’s simply the science of drugs including their origin, composition, pharmacokinetics, therapeutic use, and toxicology.
Microbiology
Medical microbiology is the science that deals with various disease causing organisms, their prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the diseases.
We learn in detail about microorganisms from virus to parasites here, and the diseases caused by them.
Pathology
Pathology is simply the study of diseases.
While microbiology focuses on infectious diseases in general, here we deal with all kinds of diseases and injuries to various cells, tissues, organs and organ systems.
Clinical subjects
Forensic medicine
It’s a broad term, and it actually is a mix of forensic pathology, forensic psychiatry, toxicology and some more.
It is also the application of medical knowledge in legal problems to solve crimes and such.
General Medicine
This is where we study about all the abnormalities/diseases of organs, tissues and their diagnosis and treatment.
This is a conjoint discipline, where knowledge from a lot other basic subjects are required.
General Surgery
We learn the basic principles of surgery here.
How to examine a certain condition (eg. a swelling/ diabetic foot/ varicose veins) and the management for it.
It’s a practical subject- we have to learn a lot of theory, that too.
OBG
It is Obstetrics and Gynaecology-a mix of 2 disciplines.
In obstetrics, we deal with pregnancy, childbirth and everything related with these.
Gynaecology is the branch dealing with diseases and other pathological conditions of the female reproductive system.
ENT
Now renamed as Otorhinolaryngology, this subject concerns ear, nose and throat.
Did you know that all three are connected together internally?
Ophthalmology
A subject solely dedicated to eyes and vision.
Don’t consider the subject silly, because eyes are precious and eye problems are a lot common than you think.
Community medicine
This subject was previously called Preventive and Social Medicine (PSM).
Well, everything the subject’s about is in the name itself- this subject strives to answer the question ‘how to prevent diseases in a society as a whole’.
Psychiatry
The subject deals with study, diagnosis, prevention and management of mental disorders.
Paediatrics
Well, it is more like the general medicine of children.
It deals with neonates, infants and children up 18 years of age.
Orthopaedics
Ortho is a surgical specialty concerning the musculoskeletal system of our body.
It deals with correction of loss of function of bones and associated structures brought about by fractures, dislocation etc.
Dermatology
It’s a whole subject dedicated completely to skin and it’s various diseases, in short.
And it’s not exacly just skin, but rather what we call the epithelial lining.
Hair and nails also come under this specialty.
Radiology
It’s nothing but the various imaging techniques that are required for the diagnosis of diseases and conditions.
X ray imaging, CT, MRI, USG etc. come under the department.
Anaesthesiology
It’s a specialty which is extremely important in a hospital setting that is also very tightly bound with Surgical specialties.
Anesthesia is mainly about the peri-operative care given to patients undergoing surgeries.
Although it is generally thought that anesthesia is just for numbing the pain, it’s a lot more bigger and encompasses critical care and intensive care medicine.
So that makes 19 subjects of MBBS course!
I did this as a simple post, nothing more confusing for the eager minds to read.
But if you want to know more about the course, you can read it in the post about the latest MBBS course: subjects and other details.