M.S. (General Surgery)

Master of Surgery in General Surgery

M.S. General Surgery or Master of Surgery in General Surgery is a postgraduate Surgery course. Surgery is a branch of medical science that treats disease or injury by operative procedures. General Surgery is a subfield of Surgery which deals with the surgical treatment of abdominal organs, e.g. intestines inclusive esophagus, stomach, colon, liver and furthermore of the thyroid gland and hernia. Though the course has been termed as ‘General Surgery’, it is not as much a General as one would expect as it involves surgical procedure involving including appendicitis, hernias, gallbladder surgeries, stomach and intestinal issues. As it mostly involves the skill and ability to care for many different surgical problems, it is often referred to as ‘Jacks of all Trades’ amongst the medical community. The duration of master’s in general surgery course is 3 years, imparted in 6 Semesters, including the period of examination. If a student has completed a recognized Two-Year Postgraduate Diploma Course in the same subject, the period of training, including the period of examination, shall be 2 years. However, a candidate may be permitted to undergo a further period of study and training of minimum 6 months duration in a recognized Post-Graduate Department in the specialty of an Institution approved by Medical Council of India for every subsequent appearance up to a maximum of 2 Appearances.

The candidates will not be, however, permitted to appear for more than 7 attempts in the final examination and shall be discharged from the course if he/she fails to fulfill this provision. The candidates joining M.D/M.S./M.D.S. degree courses are called Junior Residents in the Clinical Disciplines and Junior Demonstrators in Basic Clinical Disciplines. Surgical residents are trained in the principles of surgery and operate under supervision. Master of Surgery provides a Doctor qualification in surgery. Upon successful completion of the course, doctors become certified Surgeon. The course is not available under the Distance Education mode as it is practically based. The Medical Council of India (MCI) is a statutory body with the responsibility of establishing and maintaining high standards of medical education and recognition of medical qualifications in India. It registers doctors to practice in India.

M.S. General Surgery Eligibility

• M.S. (General Surgery) can be pursued by those candidates who have completed M.B.B.S./B.D.S. from the colleges recognized by the Medical Council/Dental Council of India and should have completed an internship. The candidate should have obtained full registration either from MCI or any of the state council.
• As per the regulations of statutory bodies, as laid out in Post-Graduate regulations 2000 of Medical Council of India, the minimum percentage of marks in the entrance test for eligibility for admission to Post-Graduate courses shall be 50 % for all candidates and for SC, ST, category-I & OBC the eligibility will be 40%.
• Most state government-affiliated programs at the M.S. level accept 50% of students based on the national examination and 50% based on state examinations. 
• In addition, 50% of positions are also reserved in most states for physicians belonging to the economically underprivileged segments of Indian society as specified in the Indian Constitution.
  The foreign nationals are required to send their applications routed through Diplomatic Channels. They are also required to appear in the Competitive Entrance Examination along with other regular candidates. Some Institutes will only conduct admission based on qualifying examination marks.
• The foreign nationals will be considered against the seats advertised under the 'Sponsored' category.

Some of the M.S. General Surgery Entrance Examinations

• UP PGMEE
• AIPGMEE
• DUPGMET

Regulations as Per Medical Council of India:

Number of Post Graduate Students to be admitted

• The ratio of recognised Post Graduate teacher to a number of students to be admitted for the course shall be 1:1 in each unit per year, to the extent that in no circumstances more than two students for the degree shall be registered in a unit in one academic year. 
• If the number of Post Graduate teachers in the unit is more than one, then the number of students may be increased proportionately but not more than two in a unit per year in any circumstances.  For this purpose, one student should associate with one Post Graduate teacher:  Provided that no Post Graduate seats left unfilled in an academic year, shall be carried forward to the next or subsequent academic years, is from 1st January to 31st December of any calendar year.

Training Programme - Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University

• The training given with due care to the Post Graduate students in the recognized institutions for the award of M.S. shall determine the expertise of the specialist and or medical teachers produced because of the educational programme during the period of stay in the institution.
• All candidates joining the MS Training Programme shall work as full-time residents during the period of training, attending not less than 80% (Eighty percent) of the training during each calendar year, and given full-time responsibility, assignments and participation in all facets of the educational process.
• The students of the institutions which are in various States/Union Territories shall be paid remuneration at par with the remuneration being paid to the Post Graduate students of State Government medical institutions/Central Government Medical Institutions, in the State/Union Territory in which the institution is located.  A similar procedure shall be followed in the matter of grant of leave to students.
• Every institution undertaking the Post Graduate training programme shall set up an Academic cell or a curriculum committee, under the chairmanship of a senior faculty member, which shall work out the details of the training programme in each specialty in consultation with other department faculty staff and coordinate and monitor the implementation of these training Programmes.
• The training programmes shall be updated as and when required.  The structured training programme shall be written up and strictly followed, to enable the examiners to determine the training undergone by the candidates and the Medical Council of India inspectors to assess the same at the time of inspection.
• Students shall maintain a record (log) book of the work carried out by them and the training programme has undergone during the period of training including details of surgical operations assisted or done independently by candidates. The record books shall be checked and assessed by the faculty members imparting the training.
• During the training for Degree to be awarded in clinical disciplines, there shall be proper training in basic medical sciences related to the disciplines concerned; during the training for the degree to be awarded in basic medical sciences, there shall be training in applied aspects of the subject; and there shall be training in allied subjects related to the disciplines concerned.  In all training programmes, both clinical and basic medical sciences, the emphasis is to be laid on preventive and social aspects and emergency care facilities for autopsies, biopsies, cytopsies, endoscopic and imaging, etc. also be made available for training purposes.
• The students shall be required to participate in the teaching and training programme of undergraduate students and interns. In addition, the Head of the Department shall involve their Post-graduate Candidates in Seminars, Journal Clubs, Group Discussions and participation in clinical, clinico-pathological conferences.
• Training in Medical Audit, Management, Health Economics, Health Information System, basics of statistics, exposure to human behaviour studies, knowledge of pharmacoeconomics and introduction to non-linar mathematics shall be imparted to the students.

Re-Admission after Break of Study

• Candidates having a break of a study of 5 years and above from the date of admission and more than two spells of a break will not be considered for re-admission.
• The five years period of break of study shall be calculated from the date of the first admission of the candidate to the course for the subsequent spells of break of studies.
• A candidate having a break of study shall be re-admitted after satisfactory fulfilment of the regulations of the University at the commencement of an academic year only and shall undergo the full duration of the course with no exemption in the period of study and examinations (including already passed) and will be permitted to appear for the examinations as prescribed in the regulations.

Migration
Migration/transfer of students undergoing the course shall not be permitted by any university or any authority

M.S. General Surgery Subjects

• Cardiothoracic Surgery
• Neurosurgery
• Oncology
• Paediatric Surgery
• Plastic Surgery
• Urology
• Vascular Surgery

Course Content 

(i) Basic Medical Sciences - Lectures, Seminars, Journal Clubs, Group Discussions, Participation in the laboratory and experimental work, and involvement in research studies in the concerned specialty and exposure to the applied aspects of the subject relevant to clinical specialties.  

(ii) Clinical disciplines - In-service training, with the students were given graded responsibility in the management and treatment of patients entrusted to their care; participation in Seminars, Journal clubs, Group Discussions, Clinical Meetings, Grand rounds, and Clinical - Pathological Conferences; practical training in Diagnosis and medical and Surgical treatment; training in the Basic Medical Sciences, as well as in allied clinical specialities. 

M.S. examinations, in any subject, consists of Thesis, Theory Papers, and clinical/Practical and Oral examinations

Examinations

• The examinations shall be organized based on grading or marking system to evaluate and certify candidate’s level of knowledge, skill and competence at the end of the training and obtaining a minimum of 50% marks in theory as well as practical separately shall be mandatory for passing the whole examination. The examination for M.S. is held at the end of 3 academic years.
• The maximum number of candidates to be examined in Clinical/practical and Oral on any day shall not exceed 8.
• The university shall conduct not more than Two Examinations in a year, for any subject, with an interval of not less than 4 and not more than 6 months between the two examinations. Resident doctors receive hands-on training in emergencies pertaining to that specialty, outpatient and inpatient management (including diagnosis and treatment), ward procedures, teaching of undergraduates and postgraduates and community services.

Scheme of examination - Tamil Nadu DR. M.G.R. Medical University

Distribution of Marks

Marks qualifying for a Pass:-

The applied Basic Science Paper will be evaluated separately and marks qualifying for a pass shall be 50% of the total prescribed.

Common to M.S. Branches

General Surgery/ Orthopaedic Surgery

Surgical residents are trained in the principles of surgery and operate under supervision. During the 3-year period, the students also conduct research and write a thesis.

(a) Thesis - Every candidate works on an assigned research project under the guidance of a recognised Post Graduate Teacher, the result of which shall be written up and submitted in the form of a Thesis. Work for writing the Thesis is aimed at contributing to the development of a spirit of inquiry, besides exposing the candidate to the techniques of research, critical analysis, acquaintance with the latest advances in medical science and the manner of identifying and consulting available literature. A thesis is to be submitted at least 6 months before the theoretical and clinical/practical examination. The Thesis is examined by a minimum of 3 examiners; 1 internal and 2 external examiners, who shall not be the examiners for Theory and Clinical; and on the acceptance of the Thesis by 2 examiners, the candidate shall appear for the final examination.

(b) Theory

(i) The theory consists of 4 Theory Papers.
(ii) Out of these one shall be of Basic Medical Sciences and one shall be of recent advances. 
(iii) The theory examination is held sufficiently earlier than the Clinical and Practical examination so that the answer books can be assessed and evaluated before the start of the Clinical/Practical and Oral examination. Provided that after 5 years from the commencement of these regulations, there shall be one theory paper of ‘multiple choice questions’; unless any institution wants to have such paper earlier. 

(c) Clinical/Practical and Oral

(i) Clinical examination for the subjects in Clinical Sciences is conducted to test the knowledge and competence of the candidates for undertaking independent work as a specialist/Teacher, for which candidates examine a minimum one long case and two short cases.
(ii) Practical examination for the subjects in Basic Medical Sciences will be conducted to test the knowledge and competence of the candidates for making valid and relevant observations based on the experimental/Laboratory studies and his ability to perform such studies as are relevant to his subject. 
(iii) The Oral examination shall be thorough and shall aim at assessing the candidate knowledge and competence about the subject, investigative procedures, therapeutic technique and other aspects of the specialty, which form a part of the examination.

A candidate is supposed to secure not less than 50% marks in each head of passing which shall include (1) Theory, (2) Practical including clinical and viva voce examination.      

Lectures, Seminars, Journal Clubs, Group Discussions, Participation in a laboratory and experimental work, and involvement in research studies in the concerned specialty and exposure to the applied aspects of the subject relevant to clinical specialties.  

Internal Assessment
The performance of the Postgraduate student during the training period should be monitored throughout the course and duly recorded in the logbooks as evidence of the ability and daily work of the student.

Marks should be allotted out of 100 as follows:-

M.S. General Surgery Colleges

• All India Institute of Medical Sciences - AIIMS Delhi, New Delhi
• Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, Faridkot
• Sambalpur University, Sambalpur

M.S. General Surgery Course Suitability

• Candidates who are sensitive towards the health needs of the community go for this Course. M.S. degree is meant for those who have a penchant for surgical and related procedures.
• Doctors who feel that they can serve humanity better by fixing someone's fracture or removing tumours etc. are perfectly suited for this type of medical course.

How is M.S. General Surgery Course Beneficial?

• The Course develops skills as a self-directed learner, recognize continuing educational needs, use appropriate learning resources to practice surgery.
• It makes an individual competent to handle medical problems effectively.
• Master’s in surgery facilitates candidates to understand and gain knowledge of the individual and specialty of Medicine.
• Master’s in surgery commands is more lucrative as compared to M.D. Some major operations are equal to one month's salary of Physician.

M.S. General Surgery Employment Areas

• Health Centres
• Hospitals
• Laboratories
• Medical Colleges
• Medical Foundation/Trust
• Non-Profit Organizations
• Nursing Homes
• Polyclinics
• Private Practice
• Research Institutes

M.S. General Surgery Jobs

• Endocrine Surgeon
• Lab Technician
• Lecturer/Professor
• Neurosurgeon
• Ophthalmologist
• Paediatric Surgeon
• Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon
• Researcher
• Resident (General Surgery) Cardiothoracic Surgeon
• Upper Gastro-intestinal Surgeon
• Urological Surgeon
• Vascular Surgeon

Similar Courses in M.S. General Surgery

• Magister Chirurgiae (M.Ch.)
• Master of Surgery in Ayurveda (M.S. (Ayu)