DNB and MD/MS: Introduction, Differences, and Keynotes

Introduction of DNB and MD/MS

DNB stands for Diplomate of National Board while MD for Doctor of Medicine and MS for Master in Surgery. Both (DNB and MD/MS) are postgraduate medical degrees and are equivalent to each other. For more clarity go through the differences between them.

Differences between DNB and MD or MS

The differences between DNB and MD/MS are as follows-

Features	DNB	MD/MS
Qualification awarded	National Board of Examinations (NBE)	College/University
approved by	Government of India	University
Age barrier	<50 years	No barrier
Entrance examination Plateforms	National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for postgraduate courses (NEET PG)	NEET PG, PGIMER, JIPMER PG, AIIMS PG
Seat	Limited	comparatively high
Famous	India	Worldwide

Keynotes on DNB and MD or MS

• DNB is a medical degree from the government of India and MD/MS is a university degree.
• Diplomate of National Board (DNB) is a Post-graduate Master’s degree same as an MD/MS degree awarded to Specialist Doctors in India after completion of a three-year residency.
• Entrance examination for both programs is through a national-level centralized entrance test i.e. Combined NEET entrance by the national board of examination with centralized counseling.
• Clinical activities in both courses (DNB and MD or MS) are similar with respect to emergency case handling, clinical case discussion, surgical exposure, case exposure, equipment availability and diagnostics tool, patient load to be handled, duty hour, night shift, maternity leave, and other facilities.
• In MD/MS courses both theory and practical examinations are conducted in the host institute and thus there is a high chance of bias in the evaluation process.
• DNB exit examination is conducted in different centers with external examiners and therefore there is no chance of bias. We can say it’s an extremely tough evaluation process both in theory and practical sessions. Comparatively the pass percentage (60 to 65%) is lower than MD/MS.