Medicine As a career!
Medicine As a career!
“Always laugh when you can, it is cheap medicine.”
― George Gordon Byron
Medicine has been the most respectable and honoured profession (I think so it’s a passion) since times immemorial. Ever since I have realized that we need to take up some-thing as a profession, I have heard medicine is the best option. People who have Doctor attached to their names are given the highest amount of respective in the society.
If you are interested to choose medicine as a career, you need to know the requirement from the very beginning. You need to decide by the eighth grade that you want to take medicine as a profession. It is better to do Matriculation and F.Sc.
If you want to do medical in Pakistan, however, people who have done their ‘O’ and A- level also manage to get in to the best medical colleges of Pakistan. If you are doing Matriculation and F.Sc make sure you opt for pre-medical group. For those who want to do ‘O’ and A- levels, they should also select pure sciences in both ‘O’ and A- level.
“The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.”
― Voltaire
Once you are done with HSC (pre medical) or A- level with pure sciences i.e. Physics, Chemistry and Biology you become eligible to apply to a medical college. Candidates who are waiting for final results of HSC can also apply. A test is usually conducted for medical colleges and students need to pass that test with a minimum of 60% to be eligible for conducted. This is the basic requirements, however for different colleges there are different requirements.
Here are some details about the famous medical colleges of Pakistan and what are their requirements?
AGHA KHAN UNIVERSITY:
Admission to the Medical Colleges is based on merit. This is assessed through not only the academic background, but also achievements in extracurricular activities, participation in social work, past internships and other experiences indicating the potential to lead.
One needs to fulfill the criteria in all the subjects to be able to get selected. Students from all over Pakistan can apply on open merit. There are no quotas and reserved seats.
Admissions are totally based on achievements of the students and not on donations. The university also accepts SAT 1 and SAT 2. The validity for these tests and the Agha Khan Entry test is for two years only. Candidate above 25 years of age are not eligible to apply.Website: www.aku.edu.pk
It is a mathematical fact that fifty percent of all doctors graduate in the bottom half of their class. ~Author Unknown
KING EDWARD MEDICAL UNIVERSITY:
King Edward Medical University formerly known as King Edward Medical College was established in 1980 in Lahore. It is the second oldest seat of medical learning in the subcontinent, the first being in Calcutta
Students who are interested to apply for under graduate programs can apply through the test of Punjab Medical Colleges held somewhere in October every year. The criterion for applying is 60% marks in HSSC (pre medical) or any recognized equivalent degree.Website: www.kemc.edu
FATIMA JINNAH MEDICAL COLLEGE FOR WOMEN:
This is a college for women only! Candidates who want to apply for under graduate programs can apply through the test of Punjab Medical Colleges, which are held every year in October. The criterion is again, at least 60% marks in HSSC or any recognized equivalent degree. Admission in FJMC is done on merit and what you achieve in entry test along with your previous academic background.Website: http://www.ffjmc.edu.pk
“Don’t you remember that love, like medicine, is only the art of encouraging nature?”
― Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
NISHTAR MEDICAL COLLEGE, MULTAN:
The Punjab government established this college after the creation of Pakistan. It started functioning on the First day of October, 1951. It was the third Medical College in the province of Punjab. It was named after the First Pakistani Governor of Punjab, Late Sardar Abdul Rab Nishtar Hospital. A dental section for B.D.S. degree has been added. First batch of B.D.S. Students was admitted in 1973-74 session. ( prospectus for dental students is published separately),
To apply in Nishtar Medical College, the procedure is the same as KEMC and FJMC. The entry test will decide whether you are selected or not. Also, 60% marks in HSSC are a minimum to apply.
DOW MEDICAL UNIVERSITY:
Dow University of Health Sciences previously known as Dow Medical College is the top government medical institute of Sindh. It is the second oldest medical college in Pakistan and the oldest undergraduate medical institution.
The selection is based on merit and competitive entry test of Sindh Government Medical Colleges held in the month of October. The eligibility criterion for the test is HSSC (pre-medical) or equivalent degree with relevant subjects I.e. Pure Sciences.
SINDH MEDICAL COLLEGE:
Sindh Medical College, Karachi started functioning 7th April, 1973after final decision of the committee constituted by the Government of Sindh and after sanction budget in first week of March 1973. First batch of about 200 Students was admitted to first year MBBS class in the College for the 1972-73 session, with Late Professor Dr. Khawaja Moin Ahmed as its Project Director and first principal.
This is one of the famous medical colleges of Sindh. Selection is totally on merit and the entry test of Sindh Government Medical Colleges held in October every year. The eligibility criterion for the test is HSSC (pre-medical) or equivalent degree with relevant subjects i.e. Pure Sciences.
This is one of the named medical colleges of Sindh. Selection is totally on merit and the entry test of Sindh Government Medical Colleges held in October every year. The eligibility criterion for the test is HSSC (pre-medical) or equivalent degree with relevant subjects i.e. Pure Sciences.
No man is a good doctor who has never been sick himself. ~Chinese Proverb
SHIFA COLLEGE OF MEDICINE:
Shifa college of medicine is a private medical college, opened its doors in December 1998 in Islamabad. This is a recent medical college as compared to others.
To apply shifa College of Medicine, the candidate needs to achieve at least 60 per cent overall score in Pre-medical group of Intermediate Certification in Pakistan. A level with Biology, Chemistry and Physics is eligible to apply. The achievement should be over 60% (pre-medical) in IBCC Equivalence Certificate. Age limit is 17-25.
All applicants need to give the Shifa Entry Test and their selection will depend on the performance of their entry test and their selection will depend on the performance of their entry test and the previous academic background. An alternate the college may accept will be SAT II in Biology, Chemistry and Physics (Minimum score requirement is 650 each in two subjects)
MCAT (Minimum score requirement is 24) AP (Advance Placement) in Biology, Chemistry and Physics (Minimum score requirement is 4 in each subject)
Interviews with the faculty of the college form a part of the evaluation. Interviews are conducted through prior appointment.
Each applicant will meet two interviewers for 15-20 minutes. The purpose of the interviews is to meet a living soul, as opposed to an applicant on paper, and appreciate those personality attributes, which one would like to see in a caring doctor.
Scope of Medicine:
In order to get into the medical arena, one has to have the patience to spend several years in a medical school learning human anatomy and biology, and then more time working in hospitals, nursing homes and so on.
Talking to Dr. Sarfaraz Bashir, a general surgeon, I got acquainted with the fact that all fields of medicine have a great scope; however, cardiac surgery is on the top list right now! This is because cardiac surgery is not so developed in Pakistan at the moment. People today don’t have a balanced diet. Most of the community does not indulge in physical exercise either, which leads to heart problem later on in life. A heart patient is usually in his middle or late age where his paying capacity can allow him to pay a lot of money.
“After you find out all the things that can go wrong, your life becomes less about living and more about waiting.”
― Chuck Palahniuk, Choke