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 All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Raipur, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh 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 MCh (Head and Neck Surgery) varies from college to college and may range from Rs.7 thousand to Rs. 17 lakhs.

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 10 lakhs to Rs. 15 lakhs per annum.

What is MCh in Head and Neck Surgery?

Master of Chirurgiae in Head and Neck Surgery, also known as MCh (Head and Neck Surgery) or MCh in (Head and Neck Surgery) is a three-year super specialty programme that candidates can pursue after completing a postgraduate degree.

MCh Head and Neck Surgery provide training to treat cancerous and noncancerous tumours in the head and neck, including tumours in the thyroid and parathyroid. It aims to enable candidates to develop their knowledge and extend and advance their practice to achieve competence in Head and Neck Surgery, providing candidates with breadth and depth of experience.

Specialty areas include Endoscopic Laser Surgery for Head and Neck Cancer Surgery, Reconstructive Surgery, Skull Base Surgery, Thyroid Surgery, etc.

The postgraduate students must gain ample knowledge and experience in the diagnosis, and 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 Head and Neck Surgery 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 specialty.

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 MCh in Head and Neck Surgery

Name of Course	MCh in Head and Neck Surgery
Level	Doctorate
Duration of Course	Three years
Course Mode	Full Time
Minimum Academic Requirement	Candidates must have a postgraduate medical Degree in MS/DNB (Otorhinolaryngology - Head & Neck) or MS/DNB (General Surgery) obtained from any college/university recognized by the Medical Council of India (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.
Admission Process / Entrance Process / Entrance Modalities	Entrance Exam (NEET-SS) INI CET for various AIIMS, PGIMER Chandigarh, JIPMER Puducherry, NIMHANS Bengaluru Counseling by DGHS/MCC/State Authorities
Course Fees	Rs.7 thousand to Rs. 17 lakhs per year
Average Salary	Rs 10 lakhs to Rs.15 lakhs per annum

Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for MCh in Head and Neck Surgery are defined as the set of rules or minimum prerequisites that aspirants must meet to be eligible for admission, which include:

Name of Super Specialty course	Course Type	Prior Eligibility Requirement
Head and Neck Surgery	MCh	MS/DNB (Otorhinolaryngology - Head & Neck)
		MS/DNB (General Surgery)

Note:

· The feeder qualification for MCh Head and Neck Surgery is defined by the NBE and is subject to changes by the NBE.

· The feeder qualification mentioned here is as of 2022.

· For any changes, please refer to the NBE website.

• The prior entry qualifications shall be strictly by 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 with 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 MCh in Head and Neck Surgery. Candidates can view the complete admission process for MCh in Head and Neck Surgery 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 speciality.
• 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 speciality subjects shall be required to appear in the question paper of the respective group if they are willing to opt for a super-speciality course in any of the super-speciality courses covered in that group.
• A candidate can opt for appearing in the question papers of as many groups for which his/her Postgraduate speciality 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 counselling only for those super-speciality subjects covered in the said group for which his/ her broad speciality is an eligible feeder qualification.

Fees Structure

The fee structure for MCh in Head and Neck Surgery varies from college to college. The fee is generally less for Government Institutes and more for private institutes. The average fee structure for MCh in Head and Neck Surgery is from Rs.7 thousand to Rs. 17 lakhs per year.

Colleges offering MCh in Head and Neck Surgery

Various medical colleges across India offer courses for pursuing MCh in (Head and Neck Surgery).

As per National Medical Commission (NMC) website, the following medical colleges are offering MCh in (Head and Neck Surgery) courses for the academic year 2022-23.

Sl.No.	Course Name	State	Name and Address of Medical College / Medical Institution	Management of College
1	M.Ch. - Head and Neck Surgery	Kerala	Amrita School of Medicine, Elamkara, Kochi	Trust
2	M.Ch. - Head and Neck Surgery	Maharashtra	Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai	Govt.
3	M.Ch. - Head and Neck Surgery	Chattisgarh	All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Raipur	Govt.
4	M.Ch. - Head and Neck Surgery	Uttarakhand	All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh	Govt.
5	M.Ch. - Head and Neck Surgery	Chandigarh	Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh	Govt.

Syllabus

MCh in Head and Neck Surgery is a three years specialization course that provides training in the stream of Head and Neck Surgery.

As of 06/03/2023 the Competency-Based Curriculum for MCh in Head and Neck Surgery course is not available on the National Medical Commission official Website. However, the course content of the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University represented here can be used for reference and idea of what a typical Syllabus of an MCh in Head and Neck Surgery course will contain:

SYLLABUS

The training will have three parts extending over three years

Part I: Lectures on basic sciences as relevant to head and neck oncology topics and research

methodology:

1. Molecular cell biology of cancer – the cell cycle regulations, oncogenes, chromosomal

abnormalities2. Genetics

3. Epidemiology of cancer

4. Mechanism of Carcinogenesis

5. Biologic therapy

6. Gene-therapy

7. Principles of radiation therapy.

8. Principles of chemotherapy.

9. Clinical Research Methods

10. Head and neck radiology

11. Applied head and neck anatomy

12. Developing a hypothesis and planning a research project

13. Designing a clinical research project

14. Data collection and monitoring

15. Biostatistics primer

16. Ethics in biomedical research

17. Securing research grants

Part II: Didactic course in head and neck oncology

1. Lip and oral cavity

2. Oral mucosa in health and disease

3. Benign cysts and tumours of the jaw

4. Management of Mandible

5. Oropharynx

6. Hypopharynx

7. Supraglottic Laryng

8. Glottic Larynx

9. Paranasal sinus

10. Parapharyngeal space

11. Salivary gland

12. Anterior skull base

13. Temporal bone

14. Management of Neck

15. Thyroid and parathyroid

Part III: Didactic and laboratory course in reconstructive surgery

1. Basic plastic surgery principles

2. Reconstruction

of soft tissue defects of the face

3. Nose reconstruction

4. Lips reconstruction

5. Oral cavity reconstruction

6. Mandible reconstruction

7. Pharynx reconstruction

8. Skull base reconstruction

9. Prosthetic rehabilitation

Part IV: Didactic and clinical training in pain and palliation

1. Management of cancer pain

2. Specialized care of the terminally ill.

3. Nutritional support.

Part V: Head and neck cancer rehabilitation

1. Speech and swallowing therapy

2. Tracheo-oesophagal prosthesis

3. Maxillofacial prosthetics

Part III: Clinical work including surgery, daily patient management, management of patients

on radiotherapy and chemotherapy and palliative care for advanced head and neck malignancy

patients.

1. Once a month inter disciplinary seminar on head and neck oncology (see syllabus).

2. Fortnightly journal club presentation.

3. Tumor board meetings once a week.

4. Attendance at least one oncology conference every year.

5. Maintenance of a log book of cases worked up, assisted, performed, planned RT, administered Chemotherapy and palliative care cases

BIOETHICS:

1. Respect human life and the dignity of every individual.

2. Refrain from supporting or committing crimes against humanity and condemn all such acts

3. Treat the sick and injured with competence and compassion and without prejudice and apply the knowledge and skills when needed.

4. Protect the privacy and confidentiality of those for whom we care and breach that confidence only when keeping it would seriously threaten their health and

5. Work freely with colleagues to discover, develop, and promote advances in medicine and public health that ameliorates suffering and contributes to human well-being.

6. Educate the Public about present and future threats to the Health of Humanity.

7. Advocate for Social, Economic, Educational and Political changes that ameliorate suffering and contribute to Human well Being.

8. Teach And mentor those who follow us, for they are the future of our caring professionals.

Career Options

After completing an MCh in Head and Neck Surgery, 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 (Head and Neck Surgery), Visiting Consultant (Head and Neck Surgery), Junior Consultant (Head and Neck Surgery), Senior Consultant (Head and Neck Surgery), Assistant Professor (Head and Neck Surgery), Associate Professor (Head and Neck Surgery).

Courses After MCh in Head and Neck Surgery Course

MCh in Head and Neck Surgery is a specialization course that can be pursued after finishing a Postgraduate medical course. After pursuing a specialization in MCh in Head and Neck Surgery, a candidate could also pursue certificate courses and Fellowship programmes recognized by NMC and NBE, where MCh in Head and Neck Surgery is a feeder qualification.

These include fellowships in:

· Head & Neck Oncology (FNB)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) –MCh in Head and Neck Surgery Course

• Question: What is the complete form of an MCh?

Answer: The full form of an MCh is Master of Chirurgiae.

• Question: What is an MCh in Head and Neck Surgery?

Answer: MCh Head and Neck Surgery or Master of Chirurgiae in Head and Neck Surgery also known as MCh in Head and Neck Surgery 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 an MCh in Head and Neck Surgery?

Answer: MCh in Head and Neck Surgery is a super specialty programme of three years.

• Question: What is the eligibility of an MCh in Head and Neck Surgery?

Answer: The Candidates must have a postgraduate medical Degree in MS/DNB (Otorhinolaryngology - Head & Neck) or MS/DNB (General Surgery) obtained from any college/university recognized by the Medical Council of India (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 an MCh in Head and Neck Surgery?

Answer: MCh in Head and Neck Surgery offers candidates various employment opportunities and career prospects.

• Question: What is the average salary for an MCh in Head and Neck Surgery candidate?

Answer: The MCh in Head and Neck Surgery candidate’s average salary is between Rs. 10 lakhs to Rs. 15 lakhs per annum depending on the experience.

• Question: Can you teach after completing an MCh Course?

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