Scope of Community Medicine/PSM 2023

Community Medicine is a branch of medicine that deals with health care and disease prevention, leading to longer life and comprehensive health care to promote the overall health of the community. It is one of the major subjects, included in the 3rd prof of the MBBS curriculum. The course includes a family adoption program through village outreach along with theory and practical classes.

Community Medicine is a flourishing discipline and its reach in India is growing tremendously.

As primary care physicians, physicians should be able to apply practically their knowledge and skills acquired from the PSM course and other clinical courses learned during the MBBS program to address the general health problems of the general population with preventive, curative, promotional, treatment and rehabilitation strategies. The course is designed to train students in the diagnosis, prevention, and management of community diseases. They undergo research and analysis to identify the upcoming health-related issue and health program planning.

Strong knowledge of subjects such as pathology, microbiology, medicine, pediatrics, and OBGYN is also required to become a successful Community Medicine specialist.

Career in PSM

·         To pursue a career in Community Medicine, one must pass the higher senior secondary education (12th standard) in the Science (PCB) stream with a minimum of 60% aggregate.

·         An aspirant needs to crack the NEET-UG exam with the required score to get admission into the MBBS.

·         After successfully completing the MBBS from an MCI-recognized institute with a minimum of 65% grades, an aspirant must crack the NEET-PG or INI-CET entrance examination with the required admitting score to get admission into the MD in Community Medicine.

·         Additionally, a medico can pursue a post-doctoral degree in Community Medicine.

Scope of Community Medicine course

Health systems across India struggle with complex healthcare problems such as multi-mortality, rising health costs, and health challenges such as persistent deprivation, inequity, and skill and competence imbalances. The vision of universal health care is critically dependent on the provision of an adequate, equitably distributed, properly trained, and motivated health workforce to ensure accessible and equitable health care. Human resources are the most important part of any system. The future career interest of MBBS graduates will play an important role in determining India's success in global healthcare. Their interest provides important information about the workforce forecast for each medical specialty and subspecialty. This highlights the need for PSM specialists and the growing scope of the subject.


Employment opportunities

·         Medical officer

·         Consultants in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

·         Faculty in medical and allied health sciences

·         Epidemiologist

·         Member of the Central Health Education Bureau

·         Researcher at health centers

·         Physician

·         Program manager in National programs

·         Research officers at Immunization centers

The scope of a Community Medicine specialist is not just limited to being a physician in government or private hospitals. Other areas of employment include international organizations like WHO, UNICEF, NGOs, health care facilities, government health bodies, immunization clinics, state, and central health services, etc.

There are a lot of advantages to pursuing a career in Community Medicine. This specialty gives the medico an opportunity to be a part of international organizations, where they research and frame health-related new policies for the nations. You can work at a reputed government organization, which booms your career to heights.

Learning resources

·         Textbooks: You can refer to the recommended books listed below:

ü  Kadri AM. IAPSM’s Textbook of Community Medicine

ü  Suryakantha AH. Community Medicine with Recent Advances

ü  Banerjee B. DK Taneja’s Health Policies & Programmes in India

ü  Banerjee B. Mahajan’s Method on Biostatistics for Medical Students and Research Workers

·         You must refer to your class notes and important topics taught by your faculty.

·         Community visits play a vital role in the complete understanding of the subject. It aids in practical knowledge and improves the interaction with the public to interpret community issues in a better way.

·         You must work on epidemiological and statistical exercises to enhance your subject skills.

·         One must focus on important topics such as Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Problems of vulnerable population groups, Major determinants of health, International and national policies related to healthcare, Health planning, evaluation, and management techniques.

·         One must refer to reports and publications to remain updated with the community issues, policies, and latest advancements.

·         There are various Community Medicine online courses available to supplement the understanding of Community Medicine for UnderGrads subjects. These courses provide you with video lectures by top faculty, along with notes and self-assessment questions.

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