MCh Head and Neck Surgery

Course structure and curriculum

• Oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer resections, including composite mandibular removal.
• Laryngeal and hypopharyngeal surgery: conservation procedures, total laryngectomy and voice restoration.
• Neck dissection in its selective, modified radical and radical forms.
• Thyroid and parathyroid operations within the head-neck context.
• Salivary gland surgery: parotidectomy with facial nerve dissection and submandibular gland excision.
• Skull base approaches in coordination with neurosurgical teams.
• Maxillectomy and craniofacial resection exposure.
• Reconstruction: pedicled flaps such as pectoralis major, and free flaps including radial forearm and fibula.
• Airway procedures: tracheostomy care and stomal recurrence management.
• Benign neck disease: branchial cysts, thyroglossal remnants and deep neck infections.
• Speech and swallowing rehabilitation and post-operative quality-of-life assessment.
• Multidisciplinary board participation plus a research dissertation defended at the exit examination.

Entrance examinations

A rank in NEET-SS — the NBEMS-run, computer-based super-speciality test — unlocks these seats. Candidates confront 150 multiple-choice questions in a 150-minute window, where four marks reward accuracy and one mark is forfeited for every error. The testing horizon is the candidate's own broad speciality at exit standard, so ENT graduates revise otolaryngology and surgery graduates revise general surgery. Head and neck courses are tied to a NEET-SS group whose feeder degrees define the applicant pool; the Medical Counselling Committee manages subsequent group-wise allotment. INI-SS, arranged by AIIMS New Delhi, performs the equivalent role at the Institutes of National Importance. Always confirm from the live bulletin which feeder degrees the year recognises.

Examinations during and after the course

Trainees are continuously appraised through case presentations, operative logbooks, flap-clinic participation and period-end departmental tests. The terminal examination features theory papers, long and short clinical cases, an operative discussion and viva voce, with an accepted thesis as the entry ticket. Preparation leans on firm command of regional anatomy, reconstruction algorithms, staging frameworks and the ability to narrate one's own operative decision-making under challenge.

Career pathways after MCh Head and Neck Surgery

Graduates anchor head and neck oncology services in cancer hospitals, large teaching centres and corporate chains, often working alongside plastic surgical and radiation colleagues. Fellowships in microvascular reconstruction, skull base surgery or transoral robotic surgery deepen capability. Academic careers, cancer registry research and community-level tobacco-cessation and screening programmes extend the speciality's reach.

Preparation with PrepElephant

The PrepElephant app supports the NEET-SS grind with speciality-matched question banks, solved past papers and mock tests patterned on the official examination. Smart revision prompts keep syllabus coverage even. Free resources on the website explain feeder eligibility and counselling rounds in practical terms.

Related entrance examinations

• National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Super Speciality)
• Institute of National Importance Super Speciality Entrance Test