Siddha Doctor (BSMS)

Seeing patients and finding the cause of illness in the Siddha way, including pulse reading (naadi), looking at the tongue and eyes, and asking about diet and habits. Prescribing herbal, mineral and metal-based medicines, diet and lifestyle advice. Varmam and thokkanam (massage) therapy. Working in clinics, government AYUSH hospitals, colleges, research and Siddha drug companies.

A day in the work
Your day may start in the OPD at 9 am, where you check each patient's pulse, tongue and eyes and listen to their story of food, sleep and stress. You write herbal or mineral medicines, and advise diet and daily routine. Some patients need varmam or thokkanam sessions, which you do with your own hands. In the afternoon you may check the medicine stock, look at records, teach students if you are in a college, or visit a village health camp.

1. Step 1 · Class 9–11Choose Science with Physics, Chemistry and Biology, and keep English. Try to take Tamil as a subject in Class 10 or 12. If you do not study it, you must learn it in the first BSMS year, because Siddha's classical books are written in Tamil.
2. Step 2 · Class 12Pass Class 12 with PCB and English. NCISM asks for at least 50% in PCB together. You must be 17 years old by 31 December of the admission year. There is no upper age limit in the state prospectus.
3. Step 3 · After Class 12Write NEET (UG). Admission to BSMS is based on NEET marks and you must clear the percentile cut-off for your category. There is no separate entrance exam. Dates and the cut-off change every year, so read the current NTA bulletin. (reported — check with the official body)
4. Step 4 · CounsellingRegister for counselling. AACCC handles all-India seats and the National Institute of Siddha follows it. For state seats, apply to your state's selection committee (Tamil Nadu: tnayushselection.org). You fill in college choices online. Selected students bring a medical fitness certificate and a Hepatitis-B vaccination certificate.
5. Step 5 · 4.5 years of studyStudy Siddha basics and philosophy, anatomy and physiology in the Siddha way, Gunapadam (drug science), Noi Naadal (diagnosis), Maruthuvam (medicine), Sirappu Maruthuvam (specialities, including varmam), plus modern subjects. The medium of instruction is Tamil or English. You clear a professional exam each stage. You need all Final Professional subjects cleared before internship.
6. Step 6 · 1 yearCompulsory Rotatory Resident Internship in a teaching hospital, where you treat real patients under supervision.
7. Step 7 · After internshipRegister with the state Siddha or Indian medicine council. Then work in a government or private hospital, set up a clinic, or study further. (reported — check with the official body)
8. OptionalMD (Siddha), 3 years, through the AIAPGET entrance, in specialities such as Maruthuvam or Gunapadam. Also PhD in Siddha. (reported — check with the official body)

Fees from: National Institute of Siddha: BSMS admission 2026–27, fee and documents · National Institute of Siddha: BSMS prospectus 2023–24 · Government of Tamil Nadu prospectus 2026–27. Fees change every year — check the college's own fee page before you pay.

Earnings vary a lot: a new graduate in a private clinic or hospital or on a short-term government post usually earns modestly, while an established doctor with a good clinic, a government post or a Siddha pharma role can earn much more, depending on the city, the employer and the patient base.

At the National Institute of Siddha, SC, ST and PwD students did not have to pay the application fee in 2023–24. The Tamil Nadu prospectus has special-category seats, including for persons with benchmark disability, children of ex-servicemen and sportspersons, and a 7.5% preferential quota for government school students. Check the current prospectus for the exact rules.

• Class 7–9Make a notebook of 10 common kitchen or garden herbs such as turmeric, tulsi, neem and ginger. Write their Tamil and English names and one traditional use of each. Ask your grandparents, and do not try any home remedy without an adult.
• Class 10–12Read the Class 11–12 NCERT Biology chapters on human physiology and plants, since NEET tests them. Also read about the BSMS course on the National Institute of Siddha website to see what you will study.Open link ↗
• College or afterAsk a senior Siddha doctor or a government AYUSH hospital if you can shadow an OPD day or join a health camp as a volunteer. Spend time on Tamil reading so that you can follow the classical Siddha texts.

• A BSMS doctor is trained and registered in Siddha medicine. Do not assume that the degree lets you practise modern (allopathic) medicine. Rules on what Ayush doctors may prescribe differ by state and change, so check with the state council.
• At the National Institute of Siddha, Chennai, the 2023–24 prospectus asks students to sign a bond with a ₹2.5 lakh penalty for leaving the course. Read the bond terms of any college before you join.
• Siddha colleges are mostly in Tamil Nadu, with a few elsewhere (for example Kerala). Seats are limited, so many students will have to move to another city or state.
• If you like medicine but not the Tamil-language side, look at BAMS (Ayurveda), BUMS (Unani) or BHMS (Homeopathy). They use different systems and different language rules.