What a DrNB means on a doctor's profile
The DrNB is the National Board's super-speciality qualification, equivalent to the DM and MCh, trained in accredited hospitals.
The DrNB is to the DNB what the DM and MCh are to the MD and MS: the super-speciality tier, awarded by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences after three years of training in an accredited hospital and entered through NEET-SS. Older certificates for the same training read "DNB" with the super-speciality in brackets — DNB (Cardiology), DNB (Urology) — and profiles here carry both forms; the DrNB name is the newer one.
The NMC recognises it as equivalent to the DM or MCh in the same field. Holders are found in the corporate hospitals that run National Board training programmes, which is where most of the DrNB profiles on this site practise.
How to check whether a doctor holds a DrNB
- Read the register entryA doctor's record on the Indian Medical Register names the qualification the state medical council recorded at registration, and further qualifications where the doctor has had them added. If the doctor says they hold a DrNB and the register shows only the primary degree, the DrNB has not been registered — which is common and not by itself a warning, but it does mean the register cannot confirm it.
- Check the college was recognised for the courseThe NMC's College and Course Search lists which institutions are recognised for which courses. a DrNB from a college not recognised for it on the year in question is a qualification the NMC does not recognise, whatever the certificate says.
- Ask the awarding body when it mattersUniversities verify degrees on request, usually for a fee; a hospital credentialing a doctor does this, and a patient can ask whether it has been done. On this site a qualification is marked verified only when it has been checked against the awarding body and the date is shown; otherwise it is marked as supplied.
30 doctors record a DrNB
None of them has the qualification checked against the awarding body yet. All are recorded as supplied. Counts are read from the live database and refresh hourly.
Branches as written on profiles
| Branch | Doctors |
|---|---|
| Cardio Thoracic & Vascular Surgery | 6 |
| Cardiology | 5 |
Specialities they practise
- Cardiologists · 8
- Urologists · 6
- Cardiothoracic surgeons · 5
- Gastroenterologists · 4
- Neurologists · 2
- Anaesthesiologists · 1
Where they practise
Questions people ask
- Is a DrNB a recognised qualification in India?
- Yes, when awarded by an institution recognised for it. The National Medical Commission maintains the list of recognised qualifications and of the institutions permitted to award each; a DrNB from a college that was not recognised for the course in that year is not a recognised qualification, and a registering body can refuse to enter it on the register.
- Is DNB (Cardiology) the same as DrNB (Cardiology)?
- Yes. The Board renamed its super-speciality qualification DrNB; certificates issued before the change say DNB with the super-speciality in brackets. Both are super-speciality qualifications equivalent to the DM.
Every profile lists its qualifications as supplied and says which of them have been checked against the awarding body and when. Where none has, the profile says so.
General information about medical qualifications in India, checked against the sources listed on 25 Sep 2026. Not advice about your situation. Errors can be reported through the corrections process.