MD Pathology: Quick Facts

MD Pathology: Whai is it About?

MD Pathology is a postgraduate degree in medicine and diagnostics/ the study of disease. The eligibility for this course is MBBS Degree from an institution recognized by the Medical Council of India (MCI) with minimum aggregate marks as required by the institute.

• This specialty addresses the main 3 components of disease – cause, mechanism of development or origin, consequences of changes.
• The branch deals with diagnostic, testing and treatment methods using genetic technologies, thus underpinning the concept of patient care and prevention of diseases. Physicians practicing pathology are called pathologists.
• They generally work with other doctors, scientists, and health professionals in hospitals and clinics to diagnose, treat and prevent diseases.
• The process of pathology is quite simple, mapping the overall response of the body to any foreign influence, i.e. antigen or disease. Subsequently, this knowledge is used to diagnose and treat illnesses.
• Pathologists compare the normal structure and function (cell count, blood) of a human body to the abnormal structure and function observed when a person is not well.

Why Study MD Pathology? 

MD Pathology aims to train students for performing high-quality diagnoses in any specified clinical situation using appropriate and relevant samples of tissue, blood, body fluid, etc., and suggest treatment options based on the diagnosis.

• Students are enabled to pursue clinical and laboratory-based research, thereby proving helpful in research-based studies on cancer or other terminal diseases.
• Pathology is the division of medical science, which focuses on effects, development, processes, and causes of diseases. Subjects studied under this degree are Pathology, Microbiology, Immunology, Medical Genetics, and Neuroscience.
• MD Pathology course also helps students to develop in students the competence to diagnose important pathological conditions in various fields such as histopathology, cytopathology, hematology, and immunopathology.

Who Should Do an MD Pathology? 

Everyone who wishes to have a career in pathology may consider pursuing MD in Pathology.

• Students can start working after completing MBBS, but they will get a hike in salary if they pursue MD courses.
• MD Pathology will give a doctor even more extensive chances to grow and gather more experience.
• The doctors will be able to associate themselves with huge pharmacists and medical brands and can get a handsome salary.
• After doing MD Pathology a doctor can get his job in either private or government hospitals or any organisation.

When to do an MD Pathology? 

There is no such limit for any student, anyone who wishes to do MD Pathology can do, but there are certain criteria such as,

• Students who are interested in MD Pathology and have successfully secured 55% marks in their MBBS must do MD in Pathology.
• Like any other post graduation course, the students will have to appear for an entrance exam to pursue MD pathology.
• The candidate must have completed an internship of housestaff for a year, only then he/she will be able to do MD.

MD Pathology Admission Process

Admission to MD Pathology is based on a national level entrance examination- National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test.

• NEET PG which is a single window entrance examination to MD/MS/PG diploma courses in medicine in India. Candidates who have secured the qualifying percentile for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) are eligible.
• National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) PG – NEET PG is an eligibility-cum-ranking examination, conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), for admission to MS/MD and PG Diploma courses in India in Medical/ Dental Colleges running with the approval of the Medical Council of India/ Dental Council of India.
• Candidates who have completed BSc. Pathology, can pursue MSc. Pathology to later on pursue MD Pathology.
• The examination is a computer based 300 multiple choice questions exam delivered on a computer based platform (CBT).
• The selection is made entirely on the basis of merit obtained in the entrance test and the choice of discipline allocated on the basis of personal counseling.

MD Pathology Admission

• The application submission dates for MD Pathology are still open at AIIMS and Jawaharlal Institute, while many have closed the application dates such as PGIMER.
• There are other colleges such as CMC Vellore, BHU, JIPMER, and Aligarh Muslim University. These are some of the best universities in India for MD pathology courses.
• Some of the applications are yet to be released, the notifications for them will be updated here.

MD Pathology Eligibility

Typically, to pursue an MD degree, candidates need to satisfy the eligibility criteria mentioned below:

• Candidates should have obtained an MBBS Degree from an institution recognized by the Medical Council of India (MCI).
• Candidates should have completed a 1- year compulsory rotating internship after passing the final professional examination which is MBBS before 30th April of the academic year.
• Candidates in possession of an MBBS degree or Provisional MBBS Pass Certificate recognized by the Indian Medical Council Act 1956, besides a permanent or provisional registration certificate of MBBS qualification issued by the Medical Council of India or State Medical Council and having completed 1 year of internship.
• They are likely to complete the internship on or before 31st March or 31st April of the relevant year, and may apply for NEET-PG through the online application system.

MD Pathology Entrance Exams

One has to appear for the medical entrance exams after completing MBBS and the one year internship, in order to get a chance to pursue MD Pathology. Here is the list of the MD Pathology entrance exams that one must qualify to get MD Pathology.

• NEET PG
• AIIMS PG
• UPSEE
• DNB CET
• JIPMER

MD Pathology Entrance Exam Dates

MD Pathology Course Structure 

Students pursuing MD Pathology course are required to work on the assigned research project under the guidance of a senior teacher, the result of which shall be formulated and submitted in the form of a thesis.

This thesis needs to be submitted at least 6 months before the theoretical and clinical/ practical examination. It is examined and evaluated by a minimum of 3 examiners from the department.

MD Pathology Curriculum

MD Pathology Syllabus

MD Pathology Specializations

If a student completes his MBBS, then he can appear for the entrance exams and pursue MD Pathology. Here are the specializations that are offered to the doctor who wish to pursue MD Pathology.

• Hematology – the study of disorders of the blood
• Histopathology – the study of disease in human tissue
• Medical Microbiology – the study of infection
• Chemical Pathology – the study of the biochemical basis of diseases

Top MD Pathology Colleges in India

There are numerous reputed colleges in India which offer MD in Pathology degree or post graduation in pathology courses. Here we have mentioned some of them.

Mumbai

Delhi

Kolkata

Bangalore

Pune

MD Pathology Scope

Career opportunities in the field of pathology abound since there are multiple specialties in pathology, and a postgraduate can choose to specialize in any of the areas such as histopathology, cytopathology, clinical pathology, and immunohistochemical techniques, and work under the supervision of some of the best pathologists.

• They may even set up their own private clinics known as diagnostic laboratories. Pathologists are lucratively recruited in the private/ corporate sectors/ hospitals and are paid in the range of INR 60 to 80,000 per month.
• Typically, pathologists function in 3 broad areas- as diagnosticians in hospitals; investigators or researchers in medical laboratories, and as teachers in colleges and universities.
• Successful postgraduates of the discipline work as Specialists in any of the sub-branches of pathology such as surgical pathology, clinical pathology, anatomical pathology, veterinary pathology, molecular pathology, plant pathology, and forensic pathology.
• They may also choose to work as consultants to doctors or medical examiners. Employment opportunities for experienced professionals in this field are also open in universities, laboratories, and hospitals.
• They are employed in areas of public health, law enforcement, government agencies, among other fields. Additionally, they may even step into research and pursue a Ph. D in any specialized branch of pathology.
• As a fresh postgraduate, pathologists earn about INR 8000 to Rs.12000 monthly. With experience, the salary increases to INR15,000 to 22,000 monthly. In private hospitals, they may earn about INR 3,00,000 to 3,50,000 yearly in the beginning.

Courses After MD Pathology 

After obtaining the first postgraduate degree, i.e. MD/MS/DNB, one can go for further specialization in medical or surgical fields.After completion of MD Pathology, doctors can get back to their profession and start working in any private or government hospital. If anyone does not wish to resume for work then they can start pursuing other courses post their MD course. Here are some of those courses that can be pursued after completing MD Pathology course.

• Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology – 3 years
• Doctor of Philosophy in Speech Pathology and Audiology – 3 years
• Post MD Certificate course in Cytopathology - 1 year
• Post MD Certificate course in Immunopathology - 1 year

MD Pathology Jobs

MD Pathology offers numerous job profiles for each of the MD Pathology passout. Here we have represented job roles and the salary they receive for the same position.

Top Recruiters

Here is the list of the top recruiters in India, we have represented the best of the pathologies who offer the high salary.

• Lal Path Lab
• Path Kind Lab
• Thyrocare
• Accu Health Diagnostic
• Pioneer Healthcare
• Lab Point
• Dr Lal Path Lab
• Serum Group
• Manisha Pathology
• Dr. Roy and Tribedi

Top Job Profiles

MD Pathology Salary

In India, a pathologist can earn between INR 26,00,000 - 50,00,000 per month. With the increase in experience, the salary also increases. Here we will represent the MD pathology salary based on various other factors such as job roles and experience wise.

Experience wise 

Job Role Wise