Rules and Regulation of BHMS Internship

As we all know, the total duration of the BHMS course is 5.5 years, combining 4.5 years of professional BHMS and one year of compulsory rotary Internship. However, there is some confusion among students and their parents regarding the internship. Many are unsure about how this compulsory internship works.

So, let’s break it down from the basics.

What is the BHMS Internship?

The BHMS internship is when a budding homoeopath, a recent graduate, gains practical experience in homeopathy. It is offered by the college from which the student graduated. The ideal duration of the internship is 12 months (including weekly offs and national holidays).

The internship can take place at hospitals or clinics affiliated with the college. Ideally, you should receive a stipend, as you are no longer a student, but an intern homeopathic doctor. All BHMS graduates must undergo one year of internship to obtain their degree and a valid certificate from the Homeopathic Medical Council.

Eligibility Criteria for BHMS Internship

– You must have completed all four professional years of the BHMS course and of course, passed all subjects.
– A provisional degree certificate will be issued by the university.
– That’s it—nothing else is required.

Based on this, your college (or you; yourself) can apply for temporary/provisional registration with the State Medical Council of Homeopathy before starting the internship. The internship lasts for one year.

Internship Start Dates

• Regular batch students: The internship typically begins on the first working day of April.
• Supplementary batch students: The internship usually starts on the first working day of September.

Objectives of the BHMS Internship Programme

• To expose interns to clinical and homeopathic training, helping them become competent homeopathic physicians who can function independently in both rural and urban settings.
• To enhance sensitivity and professionalism in receiving patients.
• To develop clinical diagnostic skills, documentation, communication skills, and ethical attitudes.
• To foster clinical judgment and decision-making skills.
• To integrate various knowledge and apply it to manage different clinical conditions.
• To understand how the healthcare system functions within the community.
• To become familiar with National Health Programmes.

Attendance during the BHMS Internship

One of the main concerns among interns is managing attendance. When I was in my internship, many of my college mates were juggling double internships, preparing for AIAPGET, and even planning for their weddings! Attendance becomes a major issue during this time.

Each student must maintain at least 80% attendance on working days during the internship, with assigned duty hours (usually ranging from 6 to 8 hours).

What About Leaves?

During the compulsory one-year rotatory internship, 12 days of leave are permitted. Any absence beyond 12 days will extend the internship period accordingly. Leave will only be granted if it has been approved by the concerned Head of Department (HOD).

If there’s any delay in the commencement of the internship or an abnormal break during the internship due to unavoidable circumstances, the internship must be completed within a maximum of 24 months from the date of passing the Fourth (Final) Professional B.H.M.S. exam.

Stipend During Internship

Interns at the Central Government, State Government, Union Territory institutions, and private homeopathy medical colleges/institutions will be paid a stipend equivalent to that of other medical systems under the respective Government. There should be no discrepancy in stipend payments between different medical systems.

Ideally, the college should pay you a stipend, but we all know the ground reality in private medical colleges. They often find loopholes to avoid paying us the stipend—it’s a harsh truth. Back in the day, we raised our voices, but nothing changed, we were just ignored by the system. So, if you’re in a private medical college, just pray to God that some miracle happens and they actually pay you the stipend!!

How Is Internship Considered Complete?

Your internship is considered complete after 12 months, but you must also maintain case records from different departments:

– 40 acute cases and 25 chronic cases in the practice of medicine.
– 5 cases of antenatal check-ups & 3 deliveries were attended in the obstetrics department with 3 gynaecological cases.
– 5 surgical cases.

At the end of the year, each intern must submit a dissertation along with their case records. The final signature of all HODs must be obtained in your logbook to confirm that you have completed your assigned duties.

What is Project Work / Dissertation?

The selection of the dissertation topic will be based on the intern’s preference but must be approved by the concerned Head of the Department. The dissertation should be submitted at least one month prior to completing the internship training. A minimum of two copies should be made with proper binding to be submitted to the department and the college.

– Each intern will undertake a project utilizing the knowledge of Research Methodology and Biostatistics acquired in the IV BHMS year.
– The project will include three phases: Planning (3 months), Data Collection (3 months), and Finalization and Writing (3 months).
– The project should be written according to the format taught in the Research Methodology course and should be a minimum of 1500 words.
– The project must be typewritten and submitted in both spiral binding and electronic format.
– The project will conclude with a brief presentation.

The Principal / HOD will assign an evaluator to evaluate the project based on the following criteria:
– Originality of the idea
– Scientific methodology
– Data analysis
– Results and conclusions
– Quality of writing

Evaluation of Internship

The internship will be evaluated based on the skills developed by the intern in performing the minimum number of procedures required. The goal is for the intern to be competent in these procedures and able to carry them out effectively in their future practice.

Grades will range from:

• A: 70% and above
• B: 60-70%
• C: 50-60%
• D: Below 50%

Upon successful completion, a certificate will be awarded to the intern, stating the project title and grade received.

Can I Migration During the Internship?

Yes, it is possible to migrate during your internship for various reasons, such as moving to a different city for family reasons.

There are two scenarios for migration:
1. Migration between colleges of two different universities: Requires the consent of both the colleges and the university.
2. Migration between colleges within the same university: Requires the consent of both colleges.

In both cases, migration will be accepted by the university upon submission of a character certificate (also known as a bonafide certificate) issued by the institute, along with an application forwarded by the college and university, with or without a No Objection Certificate (NOC), depending on the situation. Source: – NCH.ORG

So that all you need to know about the BHMS Internship, hope this post gives you the clarity you need if any other related questions are in your mind please feel free to ask me in the comment section. I will try to reply to all comments below this post.