Stop losing hope, start looking for a scope when NEET scores are low

By: Aditi Sharma

Explore several alternate options available before finalising one to fulfil your dream.

Serving the country in a white coat with a stethoscope around one's neck is a dream for many young souls in our country. To fulfil the dream, one has to clear the NEET entrance examination. But, what if you score low in the NEET exam? Will, it put an end to your dreams? The answer to these questions is No, absolutely not. Many students get depressed due to low scores in NEET, but there are various alternatives in the field of medicine that one could consider.

1. One could go for B.D.S. It gives you the degree of a doctorate and a great job profile. It is an undergraduate dental course for a professional dentist in any government hospital, college, or private sector. However, if we talk about India, it is not a flourishing profession, as there are no plans to establish dental colleges and hospitals in the coming seven years at least, as said by doctors. Studying from private colleges gives a few job opportunities. However, one can still go for this option, if any of their family member or parents are in this profession or in case one wants to get into this profession. Also, it is a reputed and highly paying profession abroad.
2. The second option is Bachelor of Ayurveda, Medicine, and Surgery (BAMS) which is highly in demand in our country especially after the introduction of AyushMantralaya. The main purpose of the Ministry of Ayurveda is to develop education, research, and propagation of indigenous alternative medicine systems in India.
3. Another option is B.H.M.S, i.e. Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery. This course covers the study of homoeopathic medicines. After completing the same, the student would get the platform of opening their clinic.
4. Bachelor of Physiotherapy (B.P.T) is a drugless field where one could treat based on exercise and electrical modalities without the use of medication. It has a wide scope in almost all the areas such as Orthopaedics, Neurology, Paediatrics, Cardiological and Respiratory Conditions and Gynaecology. The earning potential is amazing once you make the right contacts and have the right amount of experience. Initial two years could be a little challenging just like in any other medical field. Once a student opts to be a physiotherapist, they also have multiple scope abroad, as many foreign countries give importance to this profession. Physical Therapy is one of the topmost high paying professions in countries like the USA, Canada, Australia, U.K, Dubai, etc.
5. BPharm/ DPharm, Bachelors or Diploma in Pharmacy. The salary for BPharm graduate is generally good in the government sector. However, MPharm or MBA from a reputed institute is a better option for the private sector. In the private sector, many job opportunities are available in Pharmaceutical Marketing, Production, Quality Control, Regulatory Affairs, Pharmacist, and Medical Underwriting.
6. Another alternative for MBBS is Bachelor of Audiology Speech-Language Pathology (BASLP). It would give employment opportunities across both private and government sectors, in the areas such as Hearing-aid and Cochlear Implant manufacturing, hospitals, medical clinics. After completing the masters, MASLP student could expect around Rs 20–30k as starting salary if they work in government set-ups, and this may go up to Rs 40–50k if they get a chance to work in private companies.
7. One could also go for becoming a dietician, who is an expert in dietetics or human nutrition, and the regulation of diet. Dieticians are regulated healthcare professionals licensed to assess, diagnose, and treat nutritional problems and it doesn't require you to qualify NEET.

In case, one wants to be a doctor and follow the same line, then they could follow either of the following steps:-

1. Management quota in Private Deemed Universities under MCC. (Fees - Rs 9-25 lakh/ year)
2. Admission in private medical colleges under state medical council (Fees – Rs 10-40 lakh/year)
3. State counselling for MGMT/NRI quota
4. Go for abroad medical colleges. For that, I would advise you to check a few things about the college, it should be at least 20 years old and must have produced a good number of Indian doctors in the past. The MCI has approved about 400+ colleges for a medical degree for Indian students. The fee structure is Rs 3-20 lakh/year.

Do think about your area of interest, your family status, and research more about various new fields and then decide with what you wish to go forward with.\

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