DrNB Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology: Admissions, Medical Colleges, fees, Eligibility criteria details

DrNB Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology or Doctorate of National Board in Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology also known as DrNB in Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology 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 diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune diseases and rheumatological disorders.

The course is a full-time course pursued at various accredited institutes/hospitals across the country. Some of the top accredited institutes/hospitals offering this course include Army Hospital- Delhi, ESIC Medical College Hospital and Super Specialty Hospital- Telangana, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital- Delhi, and more.

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

The fee for pursuing DrNB (Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology) varies from accredited institutes/hospital to hospital and may range from Rs. 1,25,000 to Rs. 3,00,000 per year.

After completion of their respective course, doctors can either join the job market or can pursue certificate courses and Fellowship programmes recognized by NMC and NBE. Candidates can take reputed jobs at positions as Senior residents, Consultants, etc. with an approximate salary range of Rs. 5,00,000 - 45,00,000 per year.

DNB is equivalent to MD/MS/DM/MCh degrees awarded respectively in medical and surgical super specialities. The list of recognized qualifications awarded by the Board in various broad and super specialties as approved by the Government of India are included in the first schedule of the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956.

The Diplomate of National Board in broad-specialty qualifications and super specialty qualifications when granted in a medical institution with the attached hospital or in a hospital with the strength of five hundred or more beds, by the National Board of Examinations, shall be equivalent in all respects to the corresponding postgraduate qualification and the super-speciality qualification granted under the Act, but in all other cases, senior residency in a medical college for an additional period of one year shall be required for such qualification to be equivalent for the purposes of teaching also.

What is DrNB in Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology?

Doctorate of National Board in Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, also known as DrNB (Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology) or DrNB in (Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology) is a three-year super specialty programme that candidates can pursue after completing a postgraduate degree.

Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology is the branch of medical science dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune diseases and rheumatological disorders.

The National Board of Examinations (NBE) has released a curriculum for DrNB in Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology.

The curriculum governs the education and training of DrNB in Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology.

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.

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 Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology 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 DrNB in Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology

Eligibility Criteria

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

Note:

• The prior entry qualifications shall be strictly in accordance with Post Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2000 and its amendments notified by the NMC and any clarification issued from NMC in this regard.
• 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 DrNB in Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology. Candidates can view the complete admission process for DrNB in Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology 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 the 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 for 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 DrNB in Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology varies from accredited institute/hospital to hospital. The fee is generally less for Government Institutes and more for private institutes. The average fee structure for DrNB in Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology is around Rs. 1,25,000 to Rs. 3,00,000 per year.

Colleges offering DrNB in Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology

There are various accredited institutes/hospitals across India that offer courses for pursuing DrNB in Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology.

As per the National Board of Examinations website, the following accredited institutes/hospitals are offering DrNB (Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology) courses for the academic year 2022-23.

Syllabus

A DrNB in Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology is a three years specialization course that provides training in the stream of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology.

The course content for DrNB in Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology is given in the NBE Curriculum released by the National Board of Examinations, which can be assessed through the link mentioned below:

1. Structure and function of bone, Joints, and connective tissue:

2. Biology of the normal joint and articular structures:

i. Hands

ii. Wrists

iii. Elbows

iv. Shoulders

v. Neck

vi. Low Back

vii. Spines

viii. Hip joint and Pelvic Girdle

ix. Knees

x. Ankles-feet

xi. Synovium, Cartilage, Bone and Chondrocytes

3. Normal and Pathological synovial tissue and cartilage

4. Connective tissue:

i. Collagen-collagenases

ii. Proteoglycans-mediators derived from polyunsaturated fatty acids

iii. Prostaglandins

iv. Thromboxane's

v. Leukotrienes

vi. Mediators of acute and chronic inflammation

vii. Vascular endothelium

viii. Interleukins

ix. Free radicals

x. Nitric oxide

xi. Apoptosis.

5. Formation and resorption of Bone- Bone as a tissue and an organ.

6. Muscle: Anatomy - contractile proteins - ultrastructure of the muscle fibre –neuro muscular junction-physiology of motor unit-excitation-contraction

7. Coupling - biochemistry of contraction- Muscle energy metabolism — pharmacology of the motor unit.

8. Nerve: Neuropathies of special interest in Rheumatology – laboratory investations –pain bath ways.

9. Synovial physiology

10. Collagen in normal and diseased connective tissue

11. Articular cartilage, Chondrocyte structure and function

12. Basics of immunology

13. Pharmacology of drugs in rheumatology practice

14. Broad issues in the approach to Rheumatic Disease:

i. Principles of Epidemiology in Rheumatic Disease

ii. Economic Burden of Rheumatic Diseases

iii. Clinical Trial Design and Analysis

iv. Assessment of Health Outcomes

v. Design of clinical trials in rheumatology

vi. Comorbidities of rheumatic disease

vii. Social aspects(work)

viii. Registries

ix. Outcomes of pediatric rheumatic disease

x. Basics of genetics

xi. Immunology

xii. Environment

xiii. Epigenetics

xiv. Genetics of rheumatoid arthritis

xv. Genetics of spondyloarthropathies

xvi. Genetics of connective tissue diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, SLE, Scleroderma, Sjogren's syndrome, Inflammatory muscle diseases, mixed connective tissue disease)

xvii. Genetics of juvenile rheumatic diseases

xviii. Genetics of osteoarthritis

xix. Genetics of Gout and other crystal arthritis

xx. Genetics of chronic musculoskeletal pain

xxi. Biologic Markers

xxii. Occupational and Recreational Musculoskeletal Disorders

xxiii. Cardio vascular Risk in Rheumatic Disease

xxiv. Cancer Risk in Rheumatic Diseases

15. Rheumatic diseases of childhood:

i. Etiology and Pathogenesis of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

ii. Treatment of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

iii. Pediatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Dermatomyositis, Scleroderma and Vasculitis

16. Medical Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation:

i. Sports Medicine

ii. Entrapment neuropathies

iii. Physiotherapy

iv. Occupational therapy

v. Health outcome assessment

vi. Rehabilitation of patients with rheumatic diseases

17. Other areas in which knowledge is to be acquired:

i. Biostatistics, Research Methodology and Clinical Epidemiology

ii. Ethics

iii. Medico legal aspects relevant to the discipline

iv. Health Policy issues as may be applicable to the discipline

A. Rheumatological Diseases

1. Regional pain syndromes:

i. Spinal pain

ii. Intervertebral disc disorders

iii. Spinal canal or foraminal stenosis & related syndromes

iv. Limb pain syndromes (e.g. rotator cuff disease, epicondylitis & other soft tissue conditions, nonspecific

v. Limb pain, plantar fasciitis, bursitis, algodystrophyetc)

vi. Chest wall pain syndromes

a. Fibromyalgia and related somatoform disorders

b. Benign jointly per mobility

c. specific to childhood – e.g. nocturnal limb pain, Osgood-Schlatter's, Perthe'setc

2. Osteoarthritis and related conditions:

i. Osteoarthritis

ii. DISH

iii. Neuropathic arthritis

iv. Crystal associated arthropathy–urate, CPPD, basic calcium phosphate, oxalate

3. Spondylarthropathy

i. Ankylosing spondylitis

ii. Enteropathicarthropathies

iii. Psoriatic arthritis

iv. Reactive arthritis

v. Whipple's disease

4. Autoimmune rheumatic disease

i. Rheumatoid arthritis

ii. Systemic lupus erythematosus and related overlap syndromes

iii. Systemic sclerosis, Sjogrens syndrome

iv. Inflammatory muscle disease

v. Vasculitides, antiphospholipid syndrome, Behcet's disease

5. Metabolic, endocrine and other disorders

i. Osteoporosis

ii. Rickets and osteomalacia

iii. Bone & joint dysplasia's

iv. Renal bone disease

v. Endocrine disorders affecting bone, joint or muscle (e.g. thyroid, pituitary, parathyroid)

vi. Metabolic disorders affecting joints (e.g. alkaptonuria, haemochromatosis etc.)

vii. Heritable collagen disorders

viii. Haemoglobinopathies

ix. Hemophilia and other disorders of hemostasis

x. Regional disorders– Paget's disease, HPOA, osteonecrosis, Perthe's disease

xi. Osteochondritisdissecans, transient regional osteoporosis

6. Neoplastic disease

i. Primary and secondary neoplastic conditions of connective tissue

ii. Pigmented villonodular synovitis

iii. Paraneoplastic musculoskeletal syndromes

7. Infection and arthritis:

i. Septic bone and joint lesions

ii. Lyme disease

iii. Mycobacterial, fungal & parasitic arthropathies

iv. Viral arthritis

v. AIDS

vi. Post-infectious rheumatologically conditions (e.g. rheumatic fever, postmeningococcal arthritis)

8. Miscellaneous:

i. i. Sarcoidosis, Eosinophilic fasciitis, Familial Mediterranean Fever, Relapsing polychondritis

ii. Hypogammaglobulinaemia& arthritis, Amyloidosis, Sweets syndrome (neutrophilic dermatoses)

iii. Primary immunodeficiency

iv. Auto-inflammatory syndromes

v. IgG4-relateddisease

Career Options

After completing a DrNB in Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, 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 (Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology), Junior Consultant, Senior Consultant (Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology), etc.

Courses After DrNB in Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology Course

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

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – DrNB in Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology Course

Question: What is the full form of DrNB?

Answer: The full form of DrNB is a Doctorate of National Board.

Question: What is a DrNB in Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology?

Answer: DrNB Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology or Doctorate of National Board in Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology also known as DrNB in Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology 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 DrNB in Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology?

Answer: DrNB in Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology is a super specialty programme of three years.

Question: What is the eligibility of a DrNB in Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology?

Answer: Candidates must have a postgraduate medical Degree in MD/DNB (General Medicine) or MD/DNB (Paediatrics) obtained from any college/university recognized by the MCI (Now NMC)/NBE, this feeder qualification mentioned here is as of 2022. For any further changes to the prerequisite requirement please refer to the NBE website.

Question: What is the scope of a DrNB in Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology?

Answer: DrNB in Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology offers candidates various employment opportunities and career prospects.

Question: What is the average salary for a DrNB in Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology candidate?

Answer: DrNB candidate's average salary is between Rs. 5,00,000 - 45,00,000 per year depending on the experience.

Question: Can you teach after completing DrNB Course?

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

Question: Is immunologist and rheumatologist the same?

Answer: Immunologists and rheumatologists are both internal medicine doctors. While immunologists treat conditions that affect your immune system, rheumatologists specialize in the musculoskeletal system.

Question: What is the difference between DrNB and DNB?

Answer: As of today, DrNB is a super-specialist qualification imparted by the NBE (SS level). Whereas DNB is a specialist qualification. Earlier DrNB used to be called DNB SS but now it is called DrNB.