DM Virology: Admissions, Medical Colleges, Fees, Eligibility Criteria Details

DM Virology or Doctorate of Medicine in Virology also known as DM in Virology is a super specialty level course for doctors in India that is done by them after completion of their postgraduate medical degree course. The duration of this super specialty course is 3 years, and it focuses on the study of diagnosis, prevention and management of viral infections.

The course is a full-time course pursued at various recognized medical colleges across the country. Some of the top medical colleges offering this course include Tirunelveli Medical College- Tirunelveli and, Christian Medical College- Vellore.

Admission to this course is done through the NEET-SS Entrance exam conducted by the National Board of Examinations, followed by counselling based on the scores of the exam that is conducted by DGHS/MCC/State Authorities.

The fee for pursuing DM (Virology) varies from college to college and may range from Rs. 40,000 to Rs. 20,00,000 per year.

After completion of their respective course, doctors can either join the job market or can pursue certificate courses and Fellowship programmes recognised by NMC and NBE. Candidates can take reputed jobs at positions as Senior residents, Consultants etc. with an approximate salary range of Rs. 6,00,000 to Rs. 30,00,000 per year.

What is DM in Virology?

Doctorate of Medicine in Virology, also known as DM (Virology) or DM in (Virology) is a three-year super specialty programme that candidates can pursue after completing a postgraduate degree.

Virology is the branch of medical science dealing with the study of diagnosis, prevention and management of viral infections.

National Medical Commission (NMC), the apex medical regulator, has released guidelines for a Competency-Based Postgraduate Training Programme for DM in Virology.

The Competency-Based Postgraduate Training Programme governs the education and training of DMs in Virology.

The postgraduate students must gain ample of knowledge and experience in the diagnosis, treatment of patients with acute, serious, and life-threatening medical and surgical diseases.

The PG education intends to create specialists who can contribute to high-quality health care and advances in science through research and training.

The required training done by a postgraduate specialist in the field of Virology would help the specialist to recognize the health needs of the community. The student should be competent to handle medical problems effectively and should be aware of the recent advances in their speciality.

The candidate is also expected to know the principles of research methodology and modes of the consulting library. The candidate should regularly attend conferences, workshops and CMEs to upgrade her/ his knowledge.

Course Highlights

Here are some of the course highlights of DM in Virology

Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for DM in Virology are defined as the set of rules or minimum prerequisites that aspirants must meet in order to be eligible for admission, which include:

• Candidates must be in possession of a postgraduate medical Degree (MD/MS/DNB) from any college/university recognized by the MCI (Now NMC)/NBE.
• The candidate must have obtained permanent registration of any State Medical Council to be eligible for admission.
• The medical college's recognition cut-off dates for the Postgraduate Degree courses shall be as prescribed by the Medical Council of India (now NMC).

Admission Process

• The admission process contains a few steps to be followed in order by the candidates for admission to DM in Virology. Candidates can view the complete admission process for DM in Virology mentioned below:

• The NEET-SS or National Eligibility Entrance Test for Super specialty courses is a national-level master's level examination conducted by the NBE for admission to DM/MCh/DrNB Courses.

• Qualifying Criteria-Candidates placed at the 50th percentile or above shall be declared as qualified in the NEET-SS in their respective specialty.

• The following Medical institutions are not covered under centralized admissions for DM/MCh courses through NEET-SS:

1. AIIMS, New Delhi and other AIIMS
2. PGIMER, Chandigarh
3. JIPMER, Puducherry
4. NIMHANS, Bengaluru

• Candidates from all eligible feeder specialty subjects shall be required to appear in the question paper of respective group, if they are willing to opt for a superspecialty course in any of the super specialty courses covered in that group.

• A candidate can opt for appearing in the question papers of as many groups for which his/her Postgraduate specialty qualification is an eligible feeder qualification.

• By appearing in the question paper of a group and on qualifying the examination, a candidate shall be eligible to exercise his/her choices in the counseling only for those superspecialty subjects covered in said group for which his/ her broad specialty is an eligible feeder qualification.

Fees Structure

The fee structure for DM in Virology varies from college to college. The fee is generally less for Government Institutes and more for private institutes. The average fee structure for DM in Virology is around Rs. 40,000 to Rs. 20,00,000 per year.

Colleges offering DM in Virology

There are various medical colleges across India that offer courses for pursuing DM in (Virology).

As per National Medical Commission (NMC) website, the following medical colleges are offering DM in (Virology) courses for the academic year 2022-23.

Syllabus

A DM in Virology is a three years specialization course that provides training in the stream of Virology.

The course content for DM in Virology is given in the Competency-Based Postgraduate Training Programme released by National Medical Commission, which can be assessed through the link mentioned below:

Course contents:

A. General Virology

• Principles of viral structure

• Viral taxonomy

• Replication of DNA and RNA viruses

• Innate responses to viral infections

• Adaptive immune response to viral agents

• Pathogenesis of viral infections

• Viral evolution

• Epidemiology of viral infections

• Bacteriophages

• Antiviral agents - mechanisms of action, PK/PD, clinical indications

• Antiviral resistance testing

• Immunization against viral diseases

• Diagnostic virology

B. Systemic Virology

(i) DNA viruses

• Poxviridae - Variola, Vaccinia, Molluscum contagiosum etc.

• Herpesviridae – HSV-1 and -2, HCMV, VZV, EBV etc.

• Adenoviridae

• Papillomaviridae

• Polyomaviridae - JCPyV, BKPyV etc.

• Parvoviridae - Parvovirus B19,

• Hepadnaviridae - HBV

(ii) RNA viruses

• Picornaviridae - Enterovirus (Poliovirus, Coxsackievirus etc.), Rhinovirus

• Orthomyxoviridae - Influenza

• Paramyxoviridae – Parainfluenza, Measles, Mumps, RSV, HPMV etc.

• Reoviridae - Rotavirus etc.

• Caliciviridae - Norovirus, Sapovirus etc.

• Astroviridae

• Coronaviridae – incl. SARSCoV, MERS CoV etc.

• Rhabdoviridae – Rabies, Chandipura virus etc.

• Flaviviridae - DENV, JE virus, KFD, Zika etc.

• Togaviridae - Chikungunya virus, Rubella virus

• Bunyaviridae - CCHF, Hanta etc.

• Arenaviridae

• Filoviridae - Marburg, Ebola virus etc.

• Retroviridae - HIV, HTLV 1&2

C. Clinical virology

• Viral infections of the skin - including pediatric exanthems and enanthems

• Viral respiratory infections - rhinitis, pharyngitis, croup, bronchiolitis, pneumonia etc.

• Viral CNS infections - encephalitis, meningitis, acute flaccid paralysis, etc.

• Viral gastroenteritis - viruses causing diarrhoea

• Viral hepatitis – e.g., due to HAV, HBV, HCV, HDV, HEV etc.

• Viral infections in the immunocompromised – e.g., in transplant recipients

• Congenital viral infections – e.g., due to HCMV, rubella, VZV, HIV etc.

• Sexually transmitted viral infections

• Ocular viral infections

• Oncogenic viral infections

• HIV/AIDS

• Prion diseases

D. Viral epidemiology

• Viral outbreak preparedness, investigation, prevention and control

• Emerging and re-emerging viruses

• Conventional and molecular epidemiology of viral infections

• Biosafety, containment and biosecurity for viruses (including standard precautions, use for personal protective equipment, hospital infection control and biomedical waste management)

• Vectors of viral diseases and their control

E. Viral immunology

• Immune responses to viral infections

• Immunopathogenesis of viral diseases

• Viral vaccines and vectors

F. Virological methods

• Techniques for viral diagnosis (as listed under the psychomotor domain)

• Principles of calibration and preventive maintenance of equipments

G. Research methodology

• As a part of the common training of all post-graduates

Psychomotor domain

1. Virological techniques: At the end of the course the student should be able to perform independently, interpret, validate, provide troubleshooting and assure quality, for the following practical techniques:

• Isolation of viruses - Cell (tissue) culture;

- Embryonated hen's egg inoculation (various routes)

- Animal inoculation

• Staining and microscopy for viral inclusion bodies

• Electron microscopy

• Immunofluorescence

• Enzyme immunoassay/ ELISA

• Immunochromatographic tests (ICT) and other point-of-care (PoC) tests

• Immunoblotting/ Western blot assay

• Hemagglutination and haemadsorption

• Conventional serological assays (optional): Complement fixation test (CFT), hemagglutination inhibition, etc.

• Neutralization assay

• Nucleic acid extraction

• Nucleic acid amplification techniques (target amplification, e.g., PCR, real-time PCR, etc.; signal amplification)

• Amplicon detection techniques – Gel electrophoresis, hybridization, etc.

• Nucleic acid sequencing and sequence analysis

2. Teaching skills/ Pedagogy: At the end of the course, the trainee should be able to teach and train undergraduates, post-graduates and technical staff, the theoretical and practical aspects of clinical virology

Career Options

After completing a DM in Virology, candidates will get employment opportunities in Government as well as in the Private sector.

In the Government sector, candidates have various options to choose from which include Registrar, Senior Resident, Demonstrator, Tutor, etc.

While in the Private sector the options include Resident Doctor, Consultant, Visiting Consultant (Virology), Junior Consultant, Senior Consultant (Virology), Virology Specialist.

Courses After DM in Virology Course

DM in Virology is a specialisation course that can be pursued after finishing a Postgraduate medical course. After pursuing specialisation in DM in Virology, a candidate could also pursue certificate courses and Fellowship programmes recognised by NMC and NBE, where DM in Virology is a feeder qualification.

Frequently Asked Question (FAQs) –DM in Virology Course

Question: What is the full form of DM?

Answer: The full form of DM is Doctorate of Medicine.

Question: What is a DM in Virology?

Answer: DM Virology or Doctorate of Medicine in Virology also known as DM in Virology is a super specialty level course for doctors in India that is done by them after completion of their postgraduate medical degree course.

Question: What is the duration of a DM in Virology?

Answer: DM in Virology is a super specialty programme of three years.

Question: What is the eligibility of a DM in Virology?

Answer: Candidates must be in possession of a postgraduate medical Degree (MD/MS/DNB) from any college/university recognized by the Medical Council of India (now NMC)/NBE.

Question: What is the scope of a DM in Virology?

Answer: DM in Virology offers candidates various employment opportunities and career prospects.

Question: What is the average salary for a DM in Virology candidate?

Answer: The DM in Virology candidate's average salary is between Rs. 6,00,000 to Rs. 30,00,000 per year depending on the experience.

Question: Can you teach after completing DM Course?

Answer: Yes, candidate can teach in a medical college/hospital after completing DM course.