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Heart To Heart

By Career Oppt / Medical PG / 21 September, 2017 / 935

Heart to Heart: Mapping the Path of Cardiology

Being a doctor is one profession that has been highly esteemed as a noble work throughout ages. Today, in a world that needs healing more than ever, medical science, with its miraculous discoveries has placed doctors right next to God, granting more lease to people’s lives. Among the many complex and diverse fields of study in medical science, the need for cardiologists is especially shooting up, thanks to a constant rise in heart-related diseases. Consequently, there is a broader scope in the career for a cardiologist among all the other sub-paths in the medical profession. That being said, it would be wrong to assume that becoming a cardiologist is a piece of cake. To become a cardiac surgeon or a cardiologist, you have to pull through a lot-the courses are different for different countries, but the required hard work is almost the same.

What is a cardiologist?

A cardiologist is a physician who has specialized in the field of heart disease related conditions and treatments.

A cardiologist is trained to take care of:

• Diagnosing and identifying health conditions related to the heart
• Educating patients about the risks and chances of heart disease and counseling them on the ways to prevent them
• Providing with specialized care for the heart and the cardiovascular system in general, through procedures like angioplasty, cardiac catheterization, and bypass surgeries.

Educational Requirements to Become a Cardiologist:

In India, to be a cardiologist, educational requirements vary depending on the state you’re living in. But more or less, the courses and exams needed to be taken are the same for this super-specialization.

• After finishing pre-university education with science majors(Physics, Chemistry, and Biology), one has to sit for the NEET (National Eligibility and Entrance Test)and clear the exam to get enrolled into the course of MBBS, which is usually a 5-year long affair. Some highly esteemed medical institutions like AIIMS, PGI and AFMC Pune conduct their own separate entrance tests as well.
• When you are done with 5 years of medical school and have obtained a degree of MBBS, you will have to join a post graduate course in general medicine, for which, you will need to clear another entrance exam. There are several Post Graduate entrance tests that are conducted in India, like All India Post Graduate Medical Exam, Delhi University Post Graduate Medical Entrance Test, BHU M.D. Entrance Test et cetera.
• After getting certified with your MD, general medicine, you have to again enroll for your studies for DNB Cardiology. The course is of two years. After completing this course you will be allowed to practice as a Cardiologist.

Further Specialization:

Even after your super-specialization in Cardiology, the path can get narrower and more distinct, as there can be a number of different types of Cardiologists, viz.:

• General cardiologist
• Interventional cardiologist
• Electro physiologist
• Pediatric cardiologist
• Cardiac and Vascular surgeons

Being a doctor is no doubt, a huge social responsibility. And with this big responsibility comes a great amount of remuneration. On an average, a cardiologist’s salary in India is around INR 1,620,000 per year (according to payscale.com). The amount varies depending on the location as well as the years of experience. In the initial phase, most people look towards working with a reputed hospital and with time a lot of cardiologists set up their private practice. Standing in today’s socioeconomic condition, the stability of this job is promising. The money and the career aspect of this profession are surely attractive but with the growing corruption in the medical field of the country, one requirement that is rather abstract and is often looked over is the sense of duty and responsibility. Being in medical field requires a lot of moral and conscience and the honesty with which one performs their duty ends up being their seal of approval towards further and further growth.