CMS & ED (Community Medical Services – Essential Drugs)

CMS ED stands for Community Medical Services – Essential Drugs. 

It is mainly for those who want to serve in rural areas, where people face a variety of healthcare problems. There is lack of healthcare providers in rural areas. People in rural areas had to travel
far away from their homes to get basic medical treatment. This becomes serious in case of emergency situations, when no one is present there to give primary health care services.
So, for solving this problem our Supreme Court of India has given validity to a course that is CMS & ED. It is a diploma course of 18 months that is divided into 3 semester. This course is specially designed for training people to impart primary healthcare services for common ailments in rural areas.

The term CMS stands for “Community Medical Service” which clearly implies a medical service that is for a community of people i.e. our rural community.

Another term ED stands for “Essential Drugs” meaning an individual after pursuing this course should have knowledge about the essential medication required to treat basic-level diseases.
The word CMS ED stands for Community Medical Services – Essential Drugs.

The individual who completes this course can become a primary healthcare provider in rural
areas. They can open their own primary healthcare center, give medical assistance, and
prescribe medicines to people recommended by World Health Organisation (WHO).

CMS & ED Courses-Eligibility, Curriculum, Scope, and much more
CMS & ED is a diploma course of about 18 months or we can say 1.5 years for
individuals who want to serve people in rural areas with regard to healthcare services. It
is majorly a course for individuals who want to open their own first-aid treatment center or
impart primary healthcare services to the people around them.
It is beneficial for those who don’t want to pursue a full-time MBBS degree but want to
serve people through the medical profession. This program majorly trains people in the
basics of medicine, first-aid treatments, treating basic infectious diseases, etc.
If serving healthcare services to the people is the thing that interests you, then this course
is definitely for you. This program will not only help you learn about the basics of
medicines and the treatment of diseases but also help you in becoming certified and
accredited professional.

Highlights of CMS & ED Diploma Programs

Course name:- CMS ED stands for Community Medical Service and Essential Drugs
Course Level:- Diploma Level
Course Duration:-18 months usually divided into 3 semesters
Mode of Education:-Online Mode
Eligibility:- Passed 10th or 10+2 with any discipline from a recognized board of education.
Along with 1 or 2 years of work experience in the relevant field.
Course Fee Approx Rs. 50,000-Rs. 60,000
Approvals UGC, MCI, INC, and PCI are some mandatory approvals required for
this course.

Eligibility Criteria for CMS & ED Diploma Courses
Minimal eligibility is that candidate must be at least 10th passed for doing this course.
12th-passed candidates are also eligible for this course.
Relevant work experience is required for doing this course i.e. in case you are 10th
passed then 2 years of work experience is required in the relevant field and in case
you are 12th passed then 1 year of work experience is required in the relevant field.
Any specific stream specialization is not required for this course.

Duration of CMS ED Diploma is 18 months or 1.5 years.
These 18 months are usually divided into 3 semesters of about 6 months each.
In the first 2 semesters, you learn about the basics and grab the acquired skills
needed for this course.
In the last semester, the student had to undergo an internship of about six months
for acquiring and becoming professional in the practical applications of this course.

CMS & ED- Mode of Education
This course is for those who have relevant work experience in this field as mentioned
above. That means this course is strictly for working professionals in this field. So for
working professionals, the best mode of education is online learning.
But what about the practicals how we can learn the practical applications of this
course online?

And that is why this course is provided in a blended format. This means that this course is
provided in a hybrid learning format that is both offline and online sessions. The
theoretical knowledge is acquired through online mode by the candidates and practical
knowledge is acquired through offline practical sessions.

Academic Fees of CMS & ED Course
The academic fee for this course usually ranges from Rs. 50,000- Rs. 60,000
including registration fee, tuition fee, etc.
This is the total fee that is mentioned above, the per semester fee is about
Rs.20,000 (Approx).
Candidates can pay the fee in one go or even can pay in breakup mode like
semester-wise payment.
Those who want to pursue this course can also pay the fee through easy EMI
options. These options are available by several universities.
Detailed fee descriptions can be different depending on the university offering the
course.

CMS & ED Course Syllabus and Curriculum
The individuals will learn about the basics of human anatomy and physiology and mainly
about the science of drugs, their reaction to the body mechanisms, and their application
in the treatment of various diseases. The course curriculum is divided into 3 semesters
each of 6 months.

The first two semesters are theory-based learning and the 3rdsemester internship offered is practical-based learning.

• Semester I 
  Anatomy and Physiology
  Introduction
  The Cell
  The Tissue
  Organs and System
  Skeletal System
  Joints of the Skeleton
  Blood
  Lymphatic System
  Cardiovascular System
  Respiratory System
  Urinary System
  The Muscular System
  The Physiology of Muscle
  Central Nervous System
  Autonomic Nervous System
  Organs of Special Senses
  Skin and Regulation of Body Temperature
  Digestive System
  Endocrine System
  Reproductive System
  Pathology
• General Pathology
  Systemic Pathology
  Infection
  Clinical Pathology
  Introduction of Microbiology
  Community Health and Hygiene
  Concept of health disease and prevention
  Nutrition and balanced diet
  Communicable and Non Communicable disease
  Health Education and Personal hygiene
  Occupational Health and Hazard
  Human SexualityPharmacology
• General Pharmacology and Definition
  Pharmacy-Source of the Drug
  Form of drugs
  Route of administration
  Various types of drugs –Classification
  Dose definition, minimum and maximum dose,
  calculating of dose
  Injection –definition, the purpose of injection, common
  dangers of injection
  Different routes of Infusion
  Infections-Definition
  Sterilization –Disinfection
  Methods of Transmission Diseases
  Immunization-Definition, Bacteria types, Different
  viruses
  Definition of toxicology, General Principal of Clinical
  Toxicology
  Classification of Poisons, General treatment of
  Poisoning
  Semester II 
  Medical Jurisprudence Criminal Courts in India
  Indian Legal System
  Procedures in Court
  Medicals Ethics
  Injuries
  Rape, Indecent assaults, Battery
  Medical Examination and Consent
  Obstetrics and Gynaecology
  Obstetrics – a) Antenatal Care b) Safe Delivery c)
  Postnatal Care
  Gynaecology – Common Diseases
  Family Welfare – Family Planning Methods (Temporary
  & Permanent)
  Sterility: Investigations of Sterility, Failure of Sterility &
  What is Sterility?
  Reproductive and Child Health [RCH]
  National Family Welfare Programme
  Complications of Pregnancy
  Complications of Labor
  Practice of Medicine
• Communicable diseases: Prevention, Control, and
  Treatments
  Nutritional Deficiency diseases
  Hormonal diseases
  Home remedies
  Home nursing
  Drug addiction
  Mental diseases and Introduction of PsychologyPrimary Health Care
• Sterility and Infertility
  Temporary and Permanent Contraception
  Common Viral and Bacterial Infection
  Primary Health Care
  First Aid and Referral

In the 3rd semester the student will be required to complete an internship to excel in their
skills learned during the course. These internships are usually offered by the universities
in which the student is enrolled.

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CMS & ED Program Scope
“Necessity is the Mother of Invention” we all know this phrase correctly, so what does this
phrase state? When there is a critical situation that needs to be solved, at that time birth
of innovative solutions takes place.
So, here is the problem that rural area people are facing, the lack of effective primary
healthcare services in their area, the accessibility of effective medical services in rural
areas, and also the need for efficient medical professionals in rural areas. And, the
solution that has been invented due to this necessity is this course i.e. CMS & ED. This
course has been validated by our Supreme Court of India for training individuals to
become a professional in imparting medical services, providing medical assistance, and
opening their primary healthcare centers.
After completion of this course, an individual becomes an accredited, approved, and
recognized medical professional. This course also enables individuals to open their
primary healthcare or first aid centers in rural and semi-urban areas especially. Post
completion of this course an individual can treat basic ailments and also prescribe drugs
recognized by WHO (World Health Organization). Individuals get job opportunities that
are available in both private and government sectors.
Approvals Required for CMS & ED Programs In India
For pursuing a course some necessary university approval should always be
checked by the student to prevent oneself from fraud.
But in the case of technical, medical courses, and some specific domain courses a
set of different approvals should also be checked otherwise your degree will not be
marked as accredited and valid.

So for CMS & ED courses, a set of approvals and recognition is required if not
present then the degree will not be valid as per the norms. These areUniversity Grants Commission (UGC) approved
Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) approved
Medical Council of India (MCI) approved
Indian Nursing Council (INC) approved
UGC-DEB (Distance Education Board) approved
Association of Indian Universities (AIU) approved

Short Duration: Though we know that this course is of about 18 months, we can
say that it’s the shortest duration course for becoming a trained professional in the
medical industry. The other courses’ duration usually ranges from around 3 to 5
years minimum. So it could be a benefit for those who want to skip this long
duration of time employed in completing a course.

No specific stream specialization: For pursuing this course individuals do not
require any specific stream specialization like in many medical courses the main
eligibility is that the individual should definitely be from a science background,
especially a biology background. But this is not the case with the CMS & ED course.

Allopathic Medicine Specialization: This course specifically trains individuals
about diseases and their treatments through the use of several essential drugs. The
individual pursuing this course will become specialized in the branch of allopathic
medicine. That’s why individuals who have specialized in the homeopathic branch
can also pursue this course in order to gain another medical specialization.

Approved Medical Professional: The major benefit that this course provides is
that it accredits a person to become an authorized and approved medical
professional. After doing this course one can become a medical professional who
can give people medical assistance, open medical aid centers, and much more.
Primary Healthcare Centers: The major problem that is faced in rural areas is the
lack of healthcare centers and medical professionals. So this course provides a
solution to this problem that is if someone pursues this course one can open their
own primary healthcare centers in rural and semi-urban areas.

Learn while Earning: The main eligibility of this course is that one should be a
working professional in the relevant field, so it provides an opportunity to learn while
earning. While pursuing your profession you can make a career in this field and
upskill yourself with this course.

How to Apply for CMS ED Course?
If you are interested and find yourself eligible for this course so, for applying to this course
one need to follow some set of steps as mentioned below:
Register Yourself: First register yourself on the respective university website
simply by entering some required information that is required. After this, the login
credential will be sent to you through the respective contact information provided,
use this login credential to complete the entire application process.
The Application Process: Let’s start the application process by entering your login
credential. Fill out the application form and provide accurate about the information
asked. Don’t provide any wrong information otherwise, the chances of getting
admission canceled might be increased.
Documents Upload: After providing all the requested information, the documents
and other things should be uploaded in the required format and size as mentioned
in the form.
Submission of fees: After filling out the application form carefully review all the
details and submit the required fee as mentioned.
Admission Confirmation: After the process, the specific university will check and
verify the information provided along with the documents uploaded. And following a
successful verification, the university will send you an email confirming your
acceptance, along with all other pertinent details you’ll need for the duration of your
academic journey.

Universities Offering CMS & ED Courses In 2023
Various university scams are going on under CMS & ED courses:
Currently, various frauds and scams are going on regarding this course. Like various
institutes and NGOs are claiming that they are offering approved and accredited courses.
But that is so not true as this course is provided by only several universities only the
degree of those is valid. Doing this course from any other unrecognized university is
invalid and illegal, it will not help you in becoming an accredited medical professional.
So the question arises where to pursue this course from?
Only UGC-approved universities are eligible to offer this course. So don’t become a victim
of this scam be alerted and check all the information about the university before enrolling
in this course. Still confused about where to do this then check the CollegeVidya portal to
find and compare the best and approved universities for this course.
The valid and authorized university that provide valid CMS & ED course is Shri Venkateshwara University(SVU)
SVU is a state-private university established in the year 2010.
It is situated in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
It offers various courses in hybrid mode a combination of distance and online.
It provides the student with placement assistance and also assists them financially
by providing them with EMI or loan facilities to submit the course fee.
It offers 18 months of CMS & ED courses in the hybrid format.
Approvals: UGC, MCI, INC, PCI, BCI, Govt of UP approved
Education Mode: It offers the courses in a blended format of learning that is distance
and online.

Learning Management System(LMS): The LMS of SVU is upgraded with the latest
technology onboard that helps smooth the educational learning journey of the student.
Some of the features are:
Live Classes
Learning in blended format
Practical sessions for practical-oriented courses
Like for CMS & ED courses, online sessions are conducted for completing the
theoretical part but offline sessions are conducted for completing the practical
sessions.
Offline and virtual labs are available for student accessibility.
CMS & ED Course Fee in SVU: A total of Rs. 60,000/- is charged by this university for
this particular course. This fee includes all things that are a registration fee, examination
fee, tuition fee, etc.
Possible Job Opportunities
If you are interested to work in this field, there are several job opportunities available to
work after the successful completion of this course. Some of these are mentioned here:
Community Health Worker Rural Medical Officer
Generic Medicines Allopathic Practitioner General Physician
Assistant Pharmacist Primary Health Care
Emergency Health Physician in Rural Areas Assistant Doctor
Dietician Health Physician

Conclusion
At last, I could say that CMS & ED is a great changes in the field of community services
and medical industry. But also inform all the readers that don’t compare this course with
the strict MBBS degree course as this course is not equivalent to this. Always check the
approvals if want to pursue this course otherwise will become a victim of the scam going
on nowadays due to a lack of awareness among the people around you.