MD Geriatrics
Direct answer
MD Geriatrics, or geriatric medicine, is the three-year postgraduate degree dedicated to the health of older adults — managing multiple chronic diseases together, frailty, falls, cognitive decline and the medicine-specific problems of ageing. The MD is currently offered at a small number of institutes rather than across all colleges; doctors enter after MBBS and internship through counselling based on entrance scores. The degree prepares specialists to run geriatric departments, memory and falls clinics, and comprehensive older-person assessment services.
Course structure and curriculum
- Comprehensive geriatric assessment: functional, cognitive, mood, nutrition and social evaluation.
- Multimorbidity management, polypharmacy reduction, deprescribing and drug-interaction vigilance.
- Cognitive disorders: dementia assessment, behavioural symptoms and caregiver support.
- Falls, syncope and balance clinics with fracture-risk evaluation.
- Frailty, sarcopenia and rehabilitation-oriented medicine for older adults.
- Geriatric syndromes: incontinence, delirium, pressure ulcers and sleep disorders.
- Cardiology of ageing: heart failure, arrhythmia and anticoagulation decisions.
- Stroke and Parkinson's disease management with neurology liaison.
- Bone health, osteoporosis prevention and treatment.
- Perioperative assessment of older patients for surgery teams.
- End-of-life and palliative needs specific to ageing, with care ethics.
- Community and institutional care visits, day-care centre exposure and dissertation research.
Entrance examinations
Geriatrics MD seats exist at a limited set of institutes — primarily within the AIIMS group and a few universities — so candidates should confirm current availability in the counselling material. Where offered, admission follows INI-CET, conducted by AIIMS New Delhi, for the institutes of national importance, and NEET-PG, conducted by NBEMS, with MCC or state counselling elsewhere. Preparation rewards strong internal medicine foundations, neurology and pharmacology, since the paper leans clinical.
University examinations
Residents are assessed through periodic tests, geriatric-assessment portfolios, clinic logs and multidisciplinary-team presentations. A dissertation is a compulsory part of the MD under NMC norms, commonly a study of a geriatric syndrome, function or cognition measure, and the accepted thesis must precede the final examination. The finals combine theory papers on ageing biology, geriatric syndromes, pharmacology in the old and recent advances with practicals: a comprehensive long case on an older patient, short cases on cognitive and functional assessment, spotters on aids and devices and viva on prescribing choices, ethics and service design.
Career pathways after MD Geriatrics
Graduates lead geriatric medicine departments, memory clinics and day-care programmes in hospitals and academic centres. Government health services are expanding elderly-care programmes as populations age. Careers combine internal medicine practice with rehabilitation and palliative interfaces; some proceed to research in ageing or long-term-care roles.
Preparation with PrepElephant
The PrepElephant app provides previous-year entrance questions, question banks, mock tests and revision tools for geriatrics aspirants and for residents revising institutional assessments. Free guides on the website explain counselling and residency planning. The claim is question practice — nothing beyond.
Frequently asked questions
How long is MD Geriatrics?
Three years after MBBS and the compulsory rotating internship, combining geriatric wards, outpatient clinics and community older-care postings.
Which entrance exam is required for MD Geriatrics?
Where the MD is offered, AIIMS-group institutes admit through INI-CET conducted by AIIMS New Delhi; other colleges use NEET-PG conducted by NBEMS with MCC or state counselling. Availability is limited.
Does MD Geriatrics require a thesis?
Yes. A dissertation under a university guide, completed and accepted before the final examination, is compulsory for every MD degree under NMC norms.
What is the scope of geriatric medicine in India?
As the older population grows, geriatric departments, memory clinics, day-care and home-care services and government elderly programmes increasingly need trained specialists, though dedicated posts are still concentrated in larger institutions.
Is geriatrics a separate speciality from internal medicine?
Yes. It is a distinct MD focusing on the interacting medical, functional and social problems of older adults, though it builds directly on internal medicine training and often works alongside it.
Practise this in the PrepElephant app
Question banks, previous-year questions, mock tests and revision tools — for MD Geriatrics. Free to start.