Students who want to embark on a healthcare career should explore several options after Class 12, including B.Sc. Nursing, B.Sc. MLT, B.Pharm, BAMS, MBBS, BDS, Physiotherapy, Medical Laboratory Technology, and other allied health programmes.
Choosing the right course will depend on your interests, academic qualifications, career goals, and preferred area of healthcare. For admission to several undergraduate medical programmes, NEET-UG is required, but it is not the only admission route for every healthcare course. However, entrance examinations, eligibility criteria, course duration, and registration requirements vary by programme and institution.
Here are the various top medical courses that are available for aspirants to pursue a career in the medical field.
Top Medical Courses After Class 12
Here is a breakdown of the top medical courses after Class 12.
MBBS
MBBS is an undergraduate medical degree for students who want to pursue a career as a physician. This is a 4.5-year academic study + 1-year compulsory rotating internship course for anyone desiring to become a doctor or aspiring medical professionals. To get admission to MBBS in reputed colleges in India like AIIMS, the aspirant will have to pass the entrance exam of NEET, which is the National Eligibility and Entrance Test, with a good score. After completion of this course, the aspirants can join any hospital as an intern. After successful completion of their internship, aspirants can register themselves with the MCI, or Medical Council of India, to start their practice as doctors.
BDS
The Bachelor of Dental Surgery is for those aspirants who want to become dentists. This is a generally 4 years academic study + 1-year internship undergraduate course. To get admission into this degree course, aspirants have to appear in the NEET exam after their 12th standard. The minimum age to appear in the BDS exam is 17 years old. The Dental Council of India is the regulator of this course and entrance exam.
BHMS
BHMS course is a great choice for students who want to become homoeopathic doctors. Different colleges have different eligibility criteria to enter this course. NEET is the most preferred qualification and is valid everywhere to get admitted into this course. This is a 5-year degree course with 6 months of internship, in which students can appear after their 12th-grade exam. After successful completion of a BHMS course, you can become a homoeopathic doctor and start practising, subject to applicable registration and licensing requirements. Many government jobs require BHMS.
BUMS
The Bachelor of Unani Medicine and Surgery is a UG medical course whose fundamentals are based on the Greek method of medicine. This method of medicine was brought by Arabs and Persians to India in the 11th century. Students who want to earn a BUMS degree should qualify for the NEET exam to pursue this five-year course with one year of internship. This course is regulated by CCIM, i.e., the Central Council for Indian Medicine, which is an organisation that works under the AYUSH department of Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy.
BAMS
Ayurveda is one of the ancient techniques of medicine in India and around the world. Bachelor in Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery is a bachelor’s degree course that provides the degree of Ayurvedacharya. This course is five and a half years long. Students after 12th grade can appear for the NEET entrance exam to get admission to well-known colleges in BAMS. CCIM, under AYUSH, is again a responsible body that governs this course of BAMS.
B.V.Sc(AH)
This medical course is meant for students who want to serve animals. This course, Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, or B.V.Sc.AH, is a career option for students who want to pursue a career in the medical field. This course is five years long after 12th grade and is related to the care and treatment of animals. Students can directly get admission into this course; however, some colleges require entrance tests for their courses.
B.Pharma
A Bachelor of Pharmacy is related to the study of medicine and helps you become a pharmacist. This is a four-year undergraduate course for aspirants who want to run a medical store. After 12th grade, aspirants can directly get admission to any college for this course. After successful completion of this course, aspirants can have a chance to get hired by top medicine manufacturing companies. Pharma and M.Pharma are relevant courses in pharmacy. D.Pharma is a two-year diploma course after 12th grade, after which an aspirant gets a licence to run a medical store.
Bachelor of Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy is the branch of science that deals with muscular spasms and recovery from muscle injuries. This course is four years in duration and includes six months of mandatory internships. Students have to clear state or university-level entrance exams to get admitted to this course.
B.Sc MLT
Medical laboratory technicians are increasingly popular among students. This course teaches about modern medical equipment and its pre-exam tests and examinations. B.Sc. The duration of this course is 3 years, and aspirants have to clear the minimum cutoffs to seek admission to this course.
B.Sc Nursing
Nursing is a profession that takes care of patients before and after an operation. It has been in demand for years, and there has been an increased need for nursing professionals in hospitals. The Bachelor of Nursing is a 4-year course after 12th grade.
Diploma in Nursing
There is huge demand for GNM nurses in the healthcare profession. This course covers fundamentals of nursing, community diseases, ward management, and assisting doctors in operations. General Nursing and Midwifery is a three-year course, and admissions to this course are based on merit.
Bachelor of Occupational Therapy
It is designed for students who are interested in occupational therapy. Generally, there is no entrance exam for this course, and admissions are made directly to the colleges. This course is 4 years in duration.
Bachelor of Optometry
This is an undergraduate course where students learn the science of the eyes and their connected organs. This course is 4 years in duration and includes a mandatory internship that lasts for 6 months to 1 year. Colleges admit students through merit or the NEET UG score.