Courses & Career Options in Community Medicine

Community Medicine is a branch of medicine that focuses on illness prevention and health promotion via public involvement and the use of skilled managerial abilities. As a specialist in community medicine, you will be expected to research the health infrastructure and systems at several levels, including local, state, and federal, and suggest significant improvements. In addition to monitoring numerous health-related indicators to keep an eye out for certain life-threatening diseases and disorders, community medicine also works with the prevention of epidemics and other outbreaks. It is in charge of keeping an eye on the community’s general health as a result.

Courses under the Community Medicine discipline

To pursue a career in Community Medicine, an aspirant must successfully complete their MBBS degree with a minimum aggregate of 60% and a one-year rotational internship. There are a lot of options for a medico to pursue a career in Community Medicine. 

• MD in Community Medicine
• Ph.D. in Community Medicine
• MBA in Healthcare/Public Health
• Master of Public Health
• Postgraduate Diploma in Community Healthcare

The syllabus of the Community Medicine for UnderGrads course includes the Concept of Health and Disease, Relationship of social and behavioural to health and disease, Environmental Health Problems, Principles of health promotion and education, Nutrition, Basic statistics, and its applications, Epidemiology of communicable and non-communicable diseases, International Health, Demography and vital statistics, Epidemiology, Occupational Health, Geriatric services, Disaster Management, Reproductive maternal and child health, Hospital waste management, Health care of the community, and Recent advances in Community Medicine.

Career Prospects and Job Profiles in Community Medicine

• Physician 
• Public Health Officer
• Public Health Project Manager
• Research Officer
• Public Health Advisor
• Research Scientist
• Academic lecturer
• Medical Health Examiner
• Epidemiologist 
• Member of Central Health Education Bureau

Areas of recruitment

• Health Centres
• Private and Government Hospitals
• Medical Foundation/Trust
• Non-Profit Organizations
• Polyclinics
• Government sector 
• Public health department
• Disease and epidemic control centers 
• Research organizations
• State or Central health services
• Immunization clinics
• International Organizations 

Salary of Community Medicine Specialist

The salary at the entry-level varies depending on the institution and your job profile. On an average, a salary of Community Medicine specialist earns around 5-8 lakhs per annum at the start of their career. They can expect a handsome salary in research, teaching, and community health management in the public and private sectors. You also have an opportunity to work in national and international organizations like WHO, and UNICEF. While working for non-profits and other charitable groups can be incredibly fulfilling, the pay is probably going to be less.

To supplement the college lectures, medical student can enroll in the community medicine online course to get the conceptual clarity over the subject and remain updated with the recent advancements in the field. A good online course provides the access to community medicine video lectures, notes, and self-assessment questions along with the topics from the practical sessions. The subject is very vast with a lot of facts and figures, so it is highly important to make Community Medicine notes to learn and memorize the content easily. 

Best colleges in India to pursue the Community Medicine course

• All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi and other AIIMS
• Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh
• Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore
• Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi
• Kasturba Medical College (KMC), Manipal
• Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER), Puducherry
• King George’s Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow
• Dr. D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune
• Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi
• University College of Medical Sciences (UCMS), Delhi