MCh Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Direct answer
MCh Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery is the super-speciality that restores form and function through reconstruction of defects created by trauma, burns, cancer resection and congenital anomalies, aesthetic surgery included within its scope. The course occupies three years after MS General Surgery, with certain other surgical feeder degrees recognised group-wise under NEET-SS rules. Admissions flow through the NBEMS entrance (NEET-SS) for the bulk of seats and through INI-SS for AIIMS and sister institutes. It is one of the few branches where a surgeon may straddle life-saving acute care, intricate microsurgery and elective cosmetic practice.
Course structure and curriculum
- Acute burn care: fluid resuscitation, wound care and the surgical treatment of deep burns.
- Post-burn reconstruction: contracture release, scar revision and tissue expansion.
- Trauma reconstruction: soft-tissue cover of the hand, lower limb and face, including degloving injuries.
- Microsurgery: free flap transfer, digital replantation and microvascular anastomosis training.
- Head and neck reconstruction after cancer ablation, using pedicled and free flaps.
- Cleft lip and palate surgery along with craniofacial correction of skeletal deformities.
- Aesthetic surgery: rhinoplasty, breast surgery, body contouring and facial rejuvenation procedures.
- Peripheral nerve and brachial plexus reconstruction.
- Lymphoedema management and vascularised lymph node transfer.
- Management of chronic wounds, pressure sores and diabetic foot cover.
- Research dissertation accepted prior to the final university examination.
Entrance examinations
The admission gateway is NEET-SS, conducted by NBEMS in computer-based mode. The single paper contains 150 single-best-answer questions over two and a half hours; four marks credit a right answer and one is docked for a wrong one. Content is drawn from the feeder broad speciality at exit level, so general surgery dominates for most plastic surgery aspirants. Plastic surgery seats belong to one of the defined groups under NEET-SS, and any candidate whose qualifying degree is mapped to that group may claim them during Medical Counselling Committee allotment. INI-SS, the AIIMS New Delhi examination, separately governs plastic surgery seats at the Institutes of National Importance; confirm the feeder list applicable to your degree in the latest bulletin.
Examinations during and after the course
Residents are watched continuously through clinical postings, flap-dissection workshops, logbook audits and internal tests. The university exit examination blends written papers with a practical segment — often including flap planning, instrument identification and case discussion — plus a viva and thesis defence. Preparation that works is visual and repetitive: mastering flap anatomy, rehearsing operative sequences and curating a personal atlas of reconstructed cases.
Career pathways after MCh Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Graduates divide among trauma and burns units, cancer centres needing reconstructive support, aesthetic practices and children's hospitals treating cleft and craniofacial problems. Fellowships in hand surgery, microsurgery, lymphoedema or cosmetic surgery add depth. Faculty positions, charitable reconstruction missions and independent clinics are all well-trodden routes, and aesthetic practice offers a flexible lifestyle.
Preparation with PrepElephant
Inside the PrepElephant app, NEET-SS candidates find topic-tagged question banks for general surgery, past paper sets and mock tests calibrated to the real marking scheme. Spaced-revision utilities keep high-yield topics warm through a long preparation season. The website publishes free, doctor-reviewed explainers of every exam stage.
Related entrance examinations
Frequently asked questions
What is the length of the MCh Plastic Surgery course?
Three years of residency following an eligible MS.
Which degrees open admission to this MCh?
MS General Surgery principally, with additional feeder qualifications recognised in the applicable NEET-SS group.
How do candidates secure a plastic surgery seat?
By ranking in NEET-SS and completing group-wise counselling; INI-SS performs the same function for national institute seats.
Is MCh Plastic Surgery the same as DrNB Plastic Surgery academically?
Yes in standing — both are recognised three-year super-speciality credentials, DrNB being the NBEMS-awarded version that also exists as a direct six-year post-MBBS stream in selected accredited hospitals.
What scope does plastic surgery offer in India?
Broad and growing: trauma and burns care, cancer reconstruction, expanding aesthetic demand, congenital anomaly programmes and hand surgery all recruit trained plastic surgeons.
Practise this in the PrepElephant app
Question banks, previous-year questions, mock tests and revision tools — for MCh Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Free to start.