Army Medical College

Army Medical College (AM College), Abid Majeed Road, Rawalpindi, Pakistan was established in 1977 and serves as the medical training university for the military of Pakistan. It has been certified by the National University of Sciences and Technology.

History
Army Medical College was established in 1977 as a military institution for selected cadets to obtain undergraduate medical education. The Pakistani army had previously commissioned graduates of civilian medical colleges. These medical personnel were usually conscripted on an emergency basis and did not remain in the army. This resulted in a chronic shortage of doctors in the Pakistani Armed Forces and unbalanced career structure of regular cadre of medical officers of the Pakistan Army Medical Corps. In 1976, the Government of Pakistan decided to establish the Army Medical College (AM College). The College accepted students into the first MBBS course in 1977. The College was initially affiliated with the Quaid-e-Azam University, but became affiliated with the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) in 1998. The Bachelor's degree in Dental Surgery (BDS) was first offered in 1998.

Although the number of students has increased twofold since its inception, about 2/3rds of the students are private fee paying students. The non-medical cadet cadre usually resents joining the army as they are not all inclined to serve their homeland, but are more interested in making money abroad. However, they are a good source of revenue for the Army; hence, the College now runs PhD and M.Phil courses for the civilians. Today, the Army Medical Corps remains understaffed and short of doctors due to insufficient planning by the medical directorate.
Basic aim

The College aims to produce a well disciplined, scientifically trained, broadly educated, community oriented military physician/ dental surgeon acceptable in any part of the world and who:

• Is motivated by a basic desire to serve Pakistan.
• Is sound physically and know basic administrative tools and has sound military knowledge to enable him to be proud part of Pakistan Army
• Possesses a wide knowledge of the social and economic conditions of Pakistan and the World at large.
• Is equipped with adequate knowledge of basic medical sciences, preventive medicine and clinical subjects
• Is imbued with a desire to keep up his studies, and is potentially capable of undertaking training for specialization

Academics
Army Medical College (AM College) has its curricula expanded over 5 years for Medicine (MBBS) and 4 years for Dentistry (BDS). The graduates are then required to go through internship for a period of one year to qualify for complete registration with the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC).
Medical (MBBS) Students

For Medical Students the five-year course covers:
First and second years
Anatomy Physiology Biochemistry Introductory lectures on Surgical Anatomy, Medicine, Community Medicine, Behavioral sciences
Third Year

Pharmacology General Pathology Microbiology Forensic Medicine

Fourth year
Community Medicine Special Pathology Ophthalmology Otorhinolaryngology

Final year
Medicine Surgery Pediatrics Gynaecology and Obstetrics Clinical clerkships also start from third year onwards till the final year.

Dental (BDS) Students
First and Second years
Anatomy Physiology Biochemistry Pharmacology Pathology Microbiology Study of Dental Materials Dental Histology, Oral Anatomy and Community Dentistry

Third year and fourth years
Oral Pathology Periodontics General Medicine General Surgery Orthodontics Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Prosthodontics Operative Dentistry, Endodontics and Pediatric Dentistry Islamic and Pakistan Studies are compulsory and all students are expected to qualify in these subjects in order to be eligible for the grant of degree. This is as per the rules of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council.