The MD General Medicine syllabus combines advanced theoretical knowledge with intensive clinical training in Internal Medicine. Over three years, postgraduate students study major medical specialities, manage patients in OPD and inpatient settings, handle emergencies and critical-care cases, perform essential procedures, participate in research, and progressively develop independent clinical decision-making and patient-management skills.
- MD General Medicine Syllabus: Semester-Wise Structure
- What Subjects are Covered in the MD General Medicine Syllabus?
- What Skills are Learned During MD General Medicine Syllabus?
- What are the Recommended Books for MD General Medicine Syllabus?
- What Academic Activities are Included in MD General Medicine Syllabus?
- MD General Medicine Syllabus FAQs
MD General Medicine Syllabus: Semester-Wise Structure
The AIIMS Guwahati MD Medicine curriculum describes the programme through 36 months of year-wise clinical rotations. For this article, these rotations have been organised into six semesters to provide a clearer semester-wise view of how training progresses. The semester structure below is an editorial mapping for easy understanding, while the subsequent table presents the actual rotation durations specified by AIIMS Guwahati:
Important: The semester-wise table above is a simplified presentation of the official three-year rotation plan. AIIMS Guwahati itself lists postings by academic year and duration, not as six separately prescribed semesters.
Actual Clinical Rotation and Month-Wise Structure
The AIIMS Guwahati curriculum specifies the following posting schedule across the three years of MD Medicine training:
In addition to these major postings, the curriculum provides exposure through specialty clinics in Rheumatology, Geriatric Medicine, Infectious Disease and Diabetes.
What Subjects are Covered in the MD General Medicine Syllabus?
The MD General Medicine syllabus covers the complete spectrum of adult Internal Medicine, beginning with basic sciences and progressing to organ-system medicine, subspecialities, critical care and recent advances. Major areas include cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, gastrointestinal, hepatic, endocrine, neurological, haematological, rheumatological and infectious diseases.
What Skills are Learned During MD General Medicine Syllabus?
MD General Medicine focuses heavily on practical clinical competence. Residents progressively learn to examine patients, interpret investigations, formulate diagnoses, perform diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, manage emergencies and critically ill patients, communicate with patients and families, and work effectively within multidisciplinary healthcare teams.
The procedures and competencies listed above are based on the clinical and psychomotor skills specified in the AIIMS Guwahati curriculum.
What are the Recommended Books for MD General Medicine Syllabus?
Choosing the right books is important because MD General Medicine requires both broad conceptual understanding and strong bedside knowledge. The AIIMS Guwahati curriculum recommends standard Internal Medicine textbooks along with speciality-specific reference books and clinical-method texts. Students can use one or two core books for regular study and refer to speciality books when preparing for rotations, complex cases, seminars, journal clubs or examinations.
Recommended Textbooks for MD General Medicine
These textbooks are specifically listed under the Text Books section of the AIIMS Guwahati MD Medicine curriculum.
Subject-Wise Reference Books for MD General Medicine
Clinical Methods Books
Clinical examination is one of the most important components of General Medicine. Residents need strong bedside skills alongside theoretical knowledge, particularly for history taking, physical examination, neurological examination and interpretation of clinical signs. The AIIMS Guwahati curriculum therefore recommends dedicated clinical-method books for strengthening bedside examination and diagnostic reasoning.
What Academic Activities are Included in MD General Medicine Syllabus?
MD General Medicine training extends beyond ward duties and examinations. Residents participate regularly in bedside teaching, clinical discussions, grand rounds, seminars, journal clubs, case presentations and research activities. These academic activities are designed to improve clinical reasoning, evidence-based practice, presentation skills and research competence throughout the three-year programme.
MD General Medicine Syllabus FAQs
What is the duration of the MD General Medicine course?
MD General Medicine is a three-year postgraduate medical programme. The AIIMS Guwahati curriculum specifies a total training duration of 36 months.
Is MD General Medicine divided into semesters?
The AIIMS Guwahati curriculum presents its MD Medicine training through year-wise clinical rotations over 36 months rather than prescribing six separate semesters. The semester-wise structure presented in this article is a simplified mapping of those official rotations for easier understanding.
What are the major subjects in MD General Medicine?
Major subjects include cardiology, respiratory medicine, nephrology, gastroenterology, hepatology, endocrinology, neurology, haematology, oncology, infectious diseases, rheumatology, psychiatry, dermatology, geriatrics and preventive medicine.
Does MD General Medicine include practical training?
Yes. Practical training is a major part of the programme and includes OPD, inpatient, casualty and ICU postings, bedside examination, investigations, procedures, emergency management and patient monitoring.
Does MD General Medicine include ICU training?
Yes. The curriculum includes MICU postings in the first and second years along with training in critical-care management, monitoring, CPR, intubation and ventilatory support.
What procedures are taught in MD General Medicine?
Procedures include lumbar puncture, bone marrow aspiration and biopsy, pleural and peritoneal tapping, pericardial tapping, central venous access, arterial blood sampling, liver and kidney biopsy and endotracheal intubation, among others.
Is emergency medicine included in the MD General Medicine syllabus?
Yes. The programme includes Casualty training and exposure to emergency management, including the management of critically ill patients and medical emergencies.
Is dissertation compulsory in MD General Medicine?
The AIIMS Guwahati curriculum requires postgraduate students to complete a dissertation, and satisfactory acceptance of the dissertation is required before appearing for the MD examination.
Which are the recommended textbooks for MD General Medicine?
The AIIMS Guwahati curriculum recommends Harrison's, Davidson's, API Textbook of Medicine, Oxford Textbook of Medicine, Kumar & Clark and Cecil as major textbooks for MD Medicine.
Which books are recommended for clinical examination of MD General Medicine?
Hutchinson's Clinical Methods and Macleod's Clinical Examination are among the clinical-method books recommended in the AIIMS Guwahati curriculum.
Does MD General Medicine include cardiology?
Yes. Cardiology is covered in detail, including heart failure, hypertension, coronary artery disease, arrhythmias, valvular heart disease, infective endocarditis and other cardiovascular conditions.
Does MD General Medicine include neurology?
Yes. Neurology includes headache, epilepsy, cerebrovascular diseases, Parkinson's disease, dementia, meningitis, encephalitis, multiple sclerosis, peripheral neuropathy and other neurological disorders.
Does MD General Medicine include gastroenterology and hepatology?
Yes. The syllabus covers gastrointestinal diseases, endoscopy, pancreatitis, hepatitis, cirrhosis, hepatic failure, liver transplantation and diseases of the gallbladder and bile ducts.
What skills are learned in the first year of MD General Medicine?
First-year residents develop skills in common medical disease management, OPD assistance, inpatient history taking, case records, sampling, basic procedures, patient monitoring, interpretation of basic investigations, BCLS, ACLS, CPR and patient communication.
What skills are learned in the second year of MD General Medicine?
Second-year residents progress towards independent patient examination and management and develop specialised skills such as bone marrow aspiration, lumbar puncture, ICU procedures and ventilatory management. They also participate in dissertation work and undergraduate teaching.
What skills are developed in the third year of MD General Medicine?
Third-year residents develop advanced procedural and intensive-care skills, undertake independent duties and calls, participate in interdepartmental consultations, complete their dissertation and contribute to publications and conference presentations.
