Title: Career Opportunities in Cardiology
1Career Opportunities in Cardiology
2- Cardiology in India is both historic and
intriguing as the heart and circulation has been
known and understood even before the Vedic
period. One of the various therapeutic measures
in curing cardiovascular disease has been in
practising yoga or transcendental meditation and
Ayurvedic treatment. Though only recently
meditation has seen a resurgence globally in
combating the disease, however, since then, there
has been little to fewer innovations in
cardiology in India.
The scarcity possibly lies in the limited
resources and research efforts dedicated towards
this niche field. Modern cardiology saw advanced
outlook and progressed by the initiatives of
Bharatratna recipient Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy.
Under his leadership and guidance, the Cardiology
Society of India (CSI) was officially formed on
April 4, 1948 this is much earlier to the
formation of the American College of Cardiology
in 1949.
3Demand and deficit
- In India, with its vast and diverse demography,
at least 50 million people suffer from type-2
diabetes, which happens to be a potential
fatality for people affected by heart disease.
With over 1.7 million lives lost each year
equating 28 percent of overall deaths in the
country the need for specialists in heart
diseases has never been more pertinent. This is
increasingly a growing concern due to the
shortage of cardiologists and cardiovascular
surgeons here. According to a study by The Indian
Express, an Indian daily newspaper, that in 2017-
552 seats out of 1,907 super specialty medical
seats, were vacant and only 104 were in
cardiovascular and thoracic surgery with just
55 amounting to cardiology. This despite
governments efforts to mobilize more students to
pursue masters in surgery by appearing for their
NEET examination, across the country. With 14
million urban and 16 million rural heart patients
in India, the disparity in lack of cardiologists
is appalling. - In the USA there are 31,890 cardiologists by
comparison, India requires 88,000 but has only
4,000 specialists in the field. This downward
trend might continue, as the specialization does
not seem to attract a number of medical students
pursuing a masters degree. This could result in
further shortages in the future.
4Importance and responsibilities
- Factors that contribute to the exponential rise
in the number of people with heart disease
include unhealthy diet, tobacco use and
psychosocial stress. Public education and
awareness surrounding the factors could limit the
increase in heart diseases. However, without
sufficient numbers of cardiologists, the
situation will be increasingly difficult to
control. As such, often patients will be left
facing difficulty in availing vital and
life-saving treatment. This shortage is not
singular to India the issue prevails even in
nations with advanced technologies in healthcare
developments. The Association of American Medical
Colleges (AAMC) assessed a study on the ratio of
physicians available for across the country and
reported that nearly 60 percent of all
cardiologists are 55 and above. While the number
of people living who are 80 and above in age has
steadily increased, the country could see a
shortage of up to 120,000 physicians by the year
2030, AAMC projects. - Understanding the key features of becoming a
cardiologist and skillset one requires would
benefit why this profession is niche and high
paying, comparatively with any other major in the
medical field. The increased graduates going on
to be a general practitioner has also led to a
substantial number of medical students in
considering cardiovascular and cardiology as a
good investment to their efforts in studying this
alluring profession.
5Inherent skills of a heart doctor
- Aspiring medical graduates require having
completed 5 ½ years of MBBS, followed by an MD
for 3 years and subsequently 3 years for DM
(Cardiology) in order to become a cardiologist.
The cardiologist needs to be a hard-worker, with
dedication and above all else aptitude in
science. With self-discipline, patience and
commitment to excel, a cardiologist can be
self-confident and succeed. The aspiring medical
practitioners if they go by the present record of
future requirements of cardiology-based
professionals, young cardiologists will find
themselves to have discovered not only a
lucrative field to work but also a sense of
fulfillment and compassion in their work.
6- A few of the steps to become a cardiologist, in
India, mandates aspiring candidates appearing in
Science majors in their higher secondary exams,
followed by appearing in Medical Entrance Exams
(MEE) conducted by various reputed institutes
such as NEET, UG and AIIMS for MBBS Medical Exam.
With the introduction of NEET, candidates across
the country can appear and compete for seats to
get admission in any part of the country. These
exams are typically held between the months of
May to June. - Admission into MBBS studies ideally takes four
and a half years of the degree program and one
year and six months of compulsory training.
Subsequently, an MBBS graduate can opt for
further studies in pursuing their Masters degree
in cardiology, if they intend to practice working
as a specialist in Cardiology. Aspiring MBBS
graduates are required to appear in Post Graduate
Medical Entrance Test such as BHU M.D, NEET-PG,
Jawaharlal Institute of Post-Graduate Medical
Education and Research Entrance Exams and Delhi
University Post Graduate Medical Entrance Test. - There are a few institutes, however, who provide
admission to MBBS doctors on the criteria of
their marks obtained in the MBBS program and work
experience. Successful completion of the two to
three years of Master degree in cardiology and
receiving the requisite registration at Medical
Council of India sets the paths open for
postgraduates in Cardiology to get jobs in public
government hospitals like AIIMS, or private
hospital centers like Apollo, Fortis and other
corporate hospitals.
7Types of cardiology
- The study, diagnosis and care in the human
cardiovascular system has three major
classifications - Invasive Using minimal opening or invasive
surgery to identify and treat electrical or
structural abnormalities in the heart through
angioplasty and stenting. - Non-invasive identifying heart abnormalities
without using needles or other medical equipment
that are inserted into the body. i.e., Nuclear
cardiology, Echocardiology, Cardiac
electrophysiology, Stress test, CT scan and Heart
monitors. - Interventional cardiology a non-surgical
option where a small flexible tube is used to
repair weakened or damaged vessels, other
affected parts or narrowed arteries. i.e., Heart
valve disease, Coronary artery disease, and
Peripheral vascular disease. - Asides the aforementioned, some cardiologists
specialize in childrens cardiology (pediatric)
and others in adult cardiology. It is important
to understand that a cardiologist is not a
surgeon, but a different specialist performing
heart surgery, mainly through tests and other
procedures.
8Salary prospects and career advancement
- PYA Healthcare surveyed in various countries in
different continents and aggregated that salaries
rose for cardiologists and cardiovascular
physicians, as well as non-physicians, between
2013 2017, with a total compensation for
invasive/interventional and non-invasive
cardiology professionals at 2 percent and 3
percent annual growth. In layman terms, median
compensation inclusive of salary and bonuses for
non-invasive doctors spiked from US420,906
(2013) to US467,941 (in 2017) and interventional
cardiologists earned nearly 30 percent more than
non-invasive professionals, with median
compensation ranging from US546,806 to
US595,157 in the same period. This aggregates
similar to the salaries drawn in India by the
specialists, with monthly salary averaging from
anywhere of 1.5 lakh rupees and upwards in the
private sector and 80,000 to 1 lakh rupees in
government hospitals. - While the career and lucrative remuneration is
alluring, aspiring MBBS doctors do not always
find seats available to pursue their dreams and
contribute to their society. With multiple
destinations across several continents now
offering bespoke courses to lure Indian students
traveling abroad, finding the right course and
institute has become pivotal.
9Texilas Fellowship in Non-Invasive Cardiology
- This 2-year affordable program in non-invasive
cardiology is designed to give a platform to
doctors, who wish to build on their existing
knowledge, skillset and experience, and to
further in mastering the clinical and service
part of Cardiology. The Fellowship Education
Curriculum encompasses both theoretical and
clinical components with emphasis on practical
knowledge. This includes fellowship students in
observing patients and learning and applying the
aspects of patient care and their treatment.
10- With an international curriculum that suits
students from all over the world, the fellowship
programme provides attractive stipends during the
study, exhaustive e-book access, and offers
excellent exposure allowing the students to get
hands-on practice in Premium hospitals
specializing in Cardiology. - Dr. Lamidi Rasheed Emmanuel, a recent graduate of
the fellowship at Texila, recalled her experience
at Texila American University as, It Texila
American University has highly committed and
efficient lecturers and staff in the Faculty. In
fact, TAU is the best school to be. - Once after the programme is complete, they will
begin a long, but steady period in gaining
experience under the guidance of experts in
cardiology. Until fellowship, graduates reach a
point where their own expertise becomes of the
quality that countless people would depend on
with their lives.
11- A profession as noble and charitable as the
medical field might be, the higher purpose of
serving patients and caring for them adequately
is often a knowledge acquired. At TAU, the
faculty successfully imparts this wisdom to their
diverse and thriving international student
community. - To know more click the below link
- https//blog.tauedu.org/career-opportunities-in-ca
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