NMC releases Medical Faculty regulations- 6 KEY TAKEAWAYS

Six key takeaways from these regulations are as follows:

(1) Appointment of Non-Medical Faculty: 

NMC has relaxed the norms for appointing non-medical faculty in medical colleges in these new regulations. The Commission has specified that non-MBBS holders can teach in Anatomy, Biochemistry, Physiology, Pharmacology, and Microbiology Departments in medical colleges if they possess a Master of Science or Doctor of Philosophy Degree in the respective fields of Medical Anatomy, Medical Biochemistry, Medical Physiology, Medical Pharmacology, and Medical Microbiology.

"Any person possessing the academic qualfications specified in column (3) of the table below, in the corresponding specialties specified in column (2) of the said table, shall be eligible for appointment as a non-medical faculty as per the minimum standards requirement specified by the Commission from time to time, if such qualification is obtained through a regular, incampus course from a recognised medical institution...," NMC has mentioned in the Gazette notification.

(2) Appointment of Diploma Holders & DNB Degree Holders:

As per the new Regulations for recruiting faculty in medical colleges, Diploma holders can now teach in medical colleges across India. NMC has mentioned that to be appointed for the post of Assistant Professors in medical broad specialities and surgical broad specialities in medical colleges, diploma holders appointed as Senior Residents in a recognised medical institute before 08.06.2017, having a total experience of four years as Senior Resident shall be eligible.

Similarly, diploma holders shall also be eligible for those posts if they have been working as Specialists or Medical Officer in the respective departments of a government medical institution or Government medical institution running a National Board of Examination and Medical Science recognised teaching programme having a cumulative experience of six years.

Apart from this, the Apex Medical Commission has also clarified that the Diplomate of National Board (DNB) degree holders in broad speciality and super speciality shall be considered equivalent to the corresponding broad specialities and super specialities academic qualifications (MD/MS), when awarded by the National Board of Examinations after training in a medical institution with an attached hospital or in a hospital having a bed strength of 500 or more.

"For the purposes of equivalence in teaching, persons holding a Diplomate of National Board qualification in broad specialty obtained from medical institutions with a bed strength of less than 500 shall be required to complete an additional one-year senior residency in a recognised medical institution in the relevant specialty," mentioned the regulations.

(3) Bed-strength of teaching college: 

As per the new regulations, Government hospitals having a capacity of more than 220 beds can now be treated as teaching hospitals. With this, the Apex Medical Commission has changed the earlier rule that applied only to 330-bed hospitals being converted into medical colleges.

(4) Non-Teaching Consultants:

NMC has specified in these new regulations that non-teaching consultants with required experience can now hold the posts of Professors, Associate and Assistant Professors in medical colleges.

According to these new regulations, a senior consultant, having three years of experience as post graduate teacher of broad speciality or super speciality subject in the NBEMS recognised Government medical institute shall be eligible to become Professor in a recognised medical institute of the concerned specialty and the total number of years of experience as Post Graduate teacher in National Board of Examination in Medical Sciences recognised government medical institute shall be considered as experience as Professor in a recognised medical institution.

Similarly, a non-teaching consultant or specialist or Medical Officer, possessing postgraduate medical degree with ten years of experience in at least 220 bedded Government hospital shall be eligible to become Associate Professor of that broad specialty, NMC specified, further adding that on such appointment he/she shall be required to undergo the Basic Course in Medical Education and Basic Course in Biomedical Research within two years of the appointment.

For appointment to the post of Assistant Professor, NMC has mentioned that a non-teaching Consultant or Specialist or Medical Officer, possessing a postgraduate medical degree with at least two years of experience in a Government hospital having at least 220 beds shall be eligible without the requirement of experience as Senior Resident. However, he/she shall complete the Basic Course in Biomedical Research within two years of appointment.

(5) BCMET Requirement: 

NMC has offered an exemption from the Basic Course in Medical Education (BCMET) to any faculty serving in super speciality departments or in broad speciality subjects not included in the undergraduate curriculum.

Exemption has also been given to any faculty serving in an institute of national importance, provided that such faculty completes the course within two years of appointment in a recognised medical institution.

(6) Age Limit of Faculty and Senior Residents: 

NMC has specified that no person shall serve as a faculty member in a medical college beyond the age of seventy years. 

For appointing senior residents in medical colleges, the Commission mentioned that the upper age limit for appointment as a Senior Resident in broad specialties shall be forty-five years.

However, for the subjects of Anatomy, Biochemistry, Physiology, Pharmacology, Microbiology, Pathology, Forensic Medicine, and Community Medicine, the upper age limit shall be fifty years.

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