PGMER 2023: PG Medicos must Fulfill these Conditions to Appear in Final Exam, Details

New Delhi: Releasing the Postgraduate Medical Education Regulations 2023 (PGMER-2023), the National Medical Commission (NMC) has specified the conditions that a post-graduate medical student needs to fulfil to be eligible to appear in the final examination.

In Chapter V of the regulations, NMC discussed the training requirements for PG medical students. The Commission mentioned that a post-graduate student of a degree course in broad speciality/super speciality will have to do at least one of the following to be eligible to appear in his/her final examination"

a. Poster presentation at a National/Zonal/State conference of his/her speciality;

b. Podium presentation at a National/Zonal/State conference of his/her speciality;

c. Have one research paper published/accepted for publication in journal of his/her speciality as first author

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the final Post-Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2023 (PGMER 2023), which were published in the official Gazette on 29.12.2023, lay down the rules and regulations regarding admission, counselling, and other details related to the postgraduate medical courses.

Apart from fulfilling the above-mentioned conditions to be eligible to appear in the final exam, the PG medicos also need to fulfill other requirements to appear in the final exams. Such requirements are as follows:

♦ All the post-graduate students need to complete an online course in Research Methodology. For this, the students need to register on the portal of the designated training institutes.

As per the regulations, the students are expected to complete the course in the first year and the online certificate generated on successful completion of the course and examination thereafter, will be acceptable evidence of having completed this course.

"The above certification shall be a mandatory requirement to be eligible to appear for the final examination of the respective post-graduate course. This requirement shall be applicable for all post-graduate students," NMC mentioned in the regulations.

♦ PGMER 2023 further mentioned that all post-graduate students shall complete a course in ethics including Good Clinical Practices and Good Laboratory Practices, whichever is relevant to them, conducted by institutions/Universities.

In this case also, the students are expected to complete the course in the first year. NMC clarified that "No post-graduate student shall be permitted to appear in the examination without the above certification."

♦ NMC mentioned that all post-graduate students need to complete a course in Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) skills to be conducted by the institution.

The Commission clarified in the regulations that the students are expected to complete the course in the first year and "No post-graduate student shall be permitted to appear in the examination without the above certification."

♦ PGMER-2023 further mentioned that the institutes may arrange training in any other courses like awareness in medical audit, medical law, exposure to human behaviour studies, finance, accounts, etc, which are beneficial to the postgraduate students.

♦ Apart from these, the PGMER 2023 also mentioned that the PG medicos need to undergo training in the District Health System/ the District Hospitals. For this purpose, they are required to undergo a compulsory residential rotation of three months in District Hospitals/ District Health System as a part of the course curriculum.

Such rotation shall take place in the 3rd or 4th or 5th semester of the postgraduate programme. In the case of those students who have taken admission after completion of the Diploma in the relevant Speciality, the District Residency Programme shall take place in the third semester only. Similarly, the post-graduate diploma students shall undergo the District Residency Programme in the third semester.

NMC has termed this rotation to be 'District Residency Programme' and the further specified that the PG medical student undergoing such training shall be termed as a 'District Resident'.

"Satisfactory completion of the District Residency shall be an essential condition before the candidate is allowed to appear in the final examination of the respective post-graduate course," NMC mentioned in the regulations.

To view the regulations, click on the link below: