Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery

BAMS Full Form in English, letter by letter

BAMS is Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery, a 5.5-year undergraduate degree in Ayurveda that includes a one-year internship.

BAMS Full Form in Indian Languages

BAMS stands for Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery, an undergraduate degree in Ayurveda. Some sources write it as Bachelor of Ayurveda, Medicine and Surgery.

So what is BAMS, really

BAMS is Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery. It is a professional degree built around Ayurveda, the traditional Indian system of medicine. If a relative says ‘she is doing BAMS’, it means she is training to be an Ayurvedic doctor.

You will sometimes see the name written as Bachelor of Ayurveda, Medicine and Surgery. Both versions point to the same degree, so do not worry if your admit card or university site uses the other spelling.

How long it takes

The course runs for five and a half years: four and a half years of study in professional years, followed by a compulsory one-year internship in a teaching hospital. Without the internship you cannot be considered a completed graduate.

Teaching is organised by the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM), which took over from the older Central Council of Indian Medicine. Confirm the structure on the regulator's website and your university's own prospectus.

Practical training is split into clinical postings in departments such as medicine, surgery, gynaecology, paediatrics and panchakarma, which is a set of detoxification procedures used in Ayurveda. Students also visit herbal gardens and pharmacies to learn how formulations are prepared. Good colleges give plenty of bedside time, so ask on a college visit how many patients come to the hospital every day.

What you study besides Ayurveda

The Indian curriculum covers classical Ayurvedic subjects with names like Rachana Sharira, Kriya Sharira, Dravyaguna, Kayachikitsa, Prasuti Tantra and Shalya Tantra. Alongside these you study human anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, forensic medicine and the principles of surgery.

Some of the old classics are read in Sanskrit, so a comfort with the language helps. Students often say the first year feels like learning two vocabularies at once.

The question every BAMS student gets asked: can you prescribe allopathy

Indian law expects a practitioner to practise only the system of medicine in which they are formally qualified and registered. In the 1998 case Dr. Mukhtiar Chand and Others v. State of Punjab and Others, the Supreme Court held that practitioners of Indian systems of medicine, now grouped under AYUSH, cannot prescribe allopathic medicines unless a law or a valid notification permits it.

State governments have issued notifications in certain situations, so the position is not identical everywhere. Before you choose the course, look up your own state's rules, because this decides what your clinic can look like.

This is an explanation, not legal advice. For a clear answer on your own situation, check with the state council or a lawyer.

Admission, in short

Admission is normally through the NEET UG score, followed by counselling run by the central government for some seats and by each state for the rest. You need class 12 with physics, chemistry and biology. The minimum marks, the age rule and the seat reservation differ by state and category.

Fees vary hugely between a government college and a private one, and are fixed by state authorities, so read the counselling brochure and not a consultancy's brochure. Stay away from anyone who promises a seat for a payment outside the counselling process.

After the degree

Graduates can go on to an MD (Ayurveda) or MS (Ayurveda), a PhD, or work in research, teaching, hospital administration or government AYUSH postings. Major institutions include the All India Institute of Ayurveda in Delhi and the National Institute of Ayurveda in Jaipur.

Be realistic about clinical training. Choose a college for its hospital, patient load and teaching quality, not just for the seat, because the internship and wards are where you learn to treat.

Related courses include BHMS for homeopathy and BDS for dentistry. They are separate degrees with their own councils.

Check also whether the college has its own teaching hospital, a pharmacy, a herbal garden and a library. Regulators inspect colleges before giving permission to admit students, so confirm that a college has current approval for the year you apply.

For fees, seat numbers, cut-offs and course length, use the official counselling notices and the regulator's website, since these change every year.

BAMS Full Form: Common Questions