MD Respiratory Medicine
Direct answer
MD Respiratory Medicine — known in older terminology as MD Tuberculosis and Chest Diseases, and sometimes as pulmonary medicine — is the three-year postgraduate degree covering diseases of the airways, lungs and pleura, with tuberculosis management at its core in the Indian setting. Doctors enter after MBBS and internship, through counselling based on NEET-PG ranks or via INI-CET for the institutes of national importance. The degree qualifies holders to run chest clinics and bronchoscopy services, to treat drug-resistant tuberculosis and to practise sleep medicine.
Course structure and curriculum
- Chest outpatient clinics for asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchiectasis and interstitial disease.
- Tuberculosis management under the National TB Elimination Programme: diagnosis, drug-sensitive and drug-resistant regimens.
- Bronchoscopy training in airway inspection, bronchoalveolar lavage and biopsy techniques.
- Pleural procedures: diagnostic and therapeutic aspiration, intercostal drain insertion and pleural biopsy.
- Interpretation of chest radiographs and high-resolution CT across diseases.
- Pulmonary function laboratory: spirometry, diffusion capacity, bronchoprovocation and exercise testing.
- Respiratory intensive care and non-invasive ventilation, ventilator adjustments and weaning.
- Sleep medicine clinics with polysomnography interpretation and CPAP titration.
- Thoracoscopy and interventional pulmonology exposure at equipped centres.
- Smoking cessation counselling and pulmonary rehabilitation programmes.
- Occupational and environmental lung disease, including pneumoconiosis teaching.
- Research methodology, journal clubs and dissertation work on respiratory questions.
Entrance examinations
Seats are allotted mainly through NEET-PG, the examination conducted by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences; the MCC conducts counselling for the All India Quota, central and deemed universities, and state authorities counsel their own quotas. The AIIMS campuses, PGIMER Chandigarh and JIPMER Puducherry offer the speciality through INI-CET, held by AIIMS New Delhi. Aspirants should master respiratory physiology and pharmacology, national tuberculosis guidelines and chest radiograph reading.
University examinations
Trainees face internal assessments, chest-clinic case presentations, procedure logbooks and journal club duties. As with every MD, a dissertation under a guide is compulsory under NMC-university norms, frequently addressing a tuberculosis or airflow-disease question, and must be accepted before the finals. The exit examination combines theory papers on pulmonary medicine, tuberculosis and recent advances with a practical round: a long respiratory case, short cases, spotters built from chest radiographs, CT films and pulmonary function tracings, plus viva on instruments, drugs and programme guidelines.
Career pathways after MD Respiratory Medicine
Graduates work as consultant pulmonologists in hospitals, lead tuberculosis programme units and set up private chest practice including sleep laboratories. Critical-care postings suit the speciality, and faculty roles are widely available. Further training options include DM pulmonary medicine and DrNB critical care through NEET-SS or INI-SS, and fellowships in interventional pulmonology and sleep medicine at select centres.
Preparation with PrepElephant
PrepElephant's app provides previous-year NEET-PG and INI-CET questions, question banks tagged by speciality, mock tests and revision tools useful both for entrance preparation and residency exam revision. Free guides on the website cover counselling and study planning. The offer is honest: practice material, not guaranteed ranks.
Frequently asked questions
What is the duration of MD Respiratory Medicine?
Three years after MBBS and the compulsory rotating internship, spent in chest clinics, wards, bronchoscopy suites and respiratory intensive care.
Which exam is required for MD Respiratory Medicine admission?
NEET-PG conducted by NBEMS for most seats, followed by MCC or state counselling; INI-CET is the route for AIIMS campuses, PGIMER Chandigarh and JIPMER Puducherry.
Is a thesis necessary in MD Respiratory Medicine?
Yes. A dissertation under university supervision, accepted before the final examination, is a compulsory element of the MD degree under NMC norms.
What is the scope after MD Respiratory Medicine?
Tuberculosis control, asthma and COPD care, sleep medicine and bronchoscopy offer hospital, academic and private-practice careers, reinforced by India's TB burden.
Is MD Respiratory Medicine the same as MD TB and Chest?
Yes — the older university name was Tuberculosis and Chest Diseases; the current speciality is styled Respiratory Medicine, with identical training territory.
Practise this in the PrepElephant app
Question banks, previous-year questions, mock tests and revision tools — for MD Respiratory Medicine. Free to start.