Physiology, Current Trends and Future Challenges in Pakistan

The subject of ‘Physiology’ forms the foundation of medical sciences. What is physiology and what is the scope of physiology, besides these points, the importance of physiology is the part of this article. Furthermore, BS Physiology Admission and other physiology degrees are also discussed. The importance of Veterinary Physiology and animal physiology is also the part.

Prof. Dr. Umer Farooq, the writer, is an expert of physiology, veterinary physiology and animal physiology. He is the Chairman, Department of Physiology at Islamia University of Bahawalpur, IUB. This Department offer BS Physiology Admission. It also teaches veterinary physiology to DVM Students.

Physiology is part of every under-graduate (BS Level) program of the medical field for the first two years. These programs include Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor in Surgery (MBBS) and Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS). Moreover, these also include, Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), BS Physiology, BS Biochemistry and BS Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT). This subject is also the part of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), and Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm-D) programs. Even in programs of allied health sciences importance of physiology is primary.

پالتو جانوروں میں ای سی جی کے ذریعے دل کی بیماریوں کی تشخیص کے موضوع پر نیشنل ورکشاپ کا انعقاد

What is Physiology?

What is Physiology? It actually is the study of how a body works i.e. functions and mechanisms of a living organism. More than any other of the biological sciences, it uses an understanding of biological processes at the most basic level. This explains how whole organ or an entire body functions. This intricate study helps to ascertain the underlying pathophysiological aspects of a disease. You will learn more about “What is Physiology?”  and physiology degrees including veterinary physiology and animal physiology here.

Importance of Physiology

Besides what is physiology, we should also know about the importance of physiology. Furthermore, we should also have the information about scope of physiology. In fact, there is Importance of physiology with broad perspective. Besides medical physiology, animal physiology and veterinary physiology are also important. One of the five originally coined Nobel Prizes includes the Nobel Prize in the subject of ‘Physiology or Medicine’. The remaining four are awarded in the subjects of Physics, Chemistry, Literature, and Peace.

E.H. Starling, a renowned physiologist of the 20th century once said, “The Physiology of Today is the Medicine of Tomorrow”. And the legendary literati from various fields of medical sciences have globally admitted that the knowledge of ‘Physiology’ is to ‘medicine’ what the knowledge of ‘anatomy is to ‘surgery’. The importance of physiology is evident from these sayings.

ویٹرنری یونیورسٹی میں اینیمل ہینڈلنگ اینڈ ماڈلنگ کے موضع پر دو روزہ بین الاقوامی ورکشاپ کا آغاز

Physiology Degrees | What is physiology?

There are different physiology degrees.  Different institutes offer these physiology degrees. Globally, 4-5 year degree programs with varying nomenclature such as BS Science in Physiology Major (Seattle University, USA), BS Physiology (Wyoming University, USA; Illinois University, USA), BS Physiology with Pharmacology(Lancashire University, UK), etc. are being offered and their scope in terms of jobs is quite satisfactory.

Pakistan has also the opportunity for BS Physiology Admission besides other physiology degrees. In Pakistan, since the 1960s, the oldest institutes of the University of Karachi and Sindh University Jamshoro (Sindh) have been offering BS Physiology Admission. These are also offering MSc, MPhil, and PhD in Physiology. The graduates of these physiology degrees have dispersed globally at lucrative positions in various medical institutes and laboratories.

In addition, many other human and veterinary medical institutes in Pakistan have also been offering various Physiology degrees for a long. Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad has since long been awarding post-graduate degrees in the subject of Reproductive Physiology. This highlights the scope of physiology as well as the importance of physiology.

BS Physiology | What is physiology?

Considering the global shift from generalization to specialization, the 04-year HEC-approved BS Physiology program was initiated. Government College University, Faisalabad (GCUF) initiated at its Department of Physiology in 2013. Seven batches of Physiology graduates have passed out. They got employment at various medical institutes of the country. They are also pursuing their post-graduate degrees in national/international institutes.

Apart from GCUF, following the lead in Punjab, the Department of Physiology at IUB has also embarked upon this degree program since 2019. Keeping in mind the importance of physiology, IUB is offering BS Physiology admission.

The curriculum of BS Physiology

The National Curriculum Revision Committees (NCRC) of Higher Education Commission (HEC) in 2012 approved the curriculum of this degree program. Since then, various universities and degree awarding institutes of the country have embarked on this emerging degree program through the initiation of BS Physiology Admission. The BS Physiology program is a 04-year program. It has 8 semesters. Eligibility for BS Physiology Admission is FSC/Intermediate students (Pre-medical).

As per the objectives denoted by the NCRC, HEC, this program aims to cater theoretical and practical aspects of normal bodily functioning. This covers the humans/plants/animals at the level of cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems (dubbed as comparative physiology). The purpose is to apply this knowledge in an intricate understanding of a disease. The core subjects of this program hence include detailed study in the pulmonary, renal, respiratory, cardiovascular, reproductive, parasite, bacterial, and other allied systems physiology. As animal physiology is important, it also gives cover to veterinary physiology. Veterinary Physiology and Animal Physiology have also importance in research work.

Practical Aspects of BS Physiology

Besides What is physiology, practical aspects of physiology should also be known. This will strengthen the importance of BS Physiology Admission. The practical aspects of this degree program involve hands-on training of its graduates in spectrometry, spectrophotometry, electrophysiology, molecular physiological techniques, membrane physiological proteomics, metabolomics and genomics, diagnostic/prognostic approaches, and various laboratory protocols.

The program is gradually attaining the attention of all and sundry in Pakistan owing to the paucity of options left with the FSc/Intermediate (pre-medical) students if they fail to attain merit in high-merit-based medical degree programs such as MBBS, BDS, DVM, etc. We can understand the Scope of physiology from these facts.

Department of Physiology at IUB

Regarding the Department of Physiology at IUB, it has been an integral part of the IUB, Bahawalpur since 2006. However, it emanated as a separate entity in 2020 keeping in mind the Scope of physiology. Henceforth, the BS Physiology and MPhil Physiology programs have been initiated at the department. Whereas Department is also launching the PhD program in upcoming spring admissions, 2024 apropos the approval from the HEC.

The graduates of the first batch of the BS Physiology program of IUB have recently completed their internship. They got opportunities in various medical institutes and laboratories. Moreover, they are about to embark on their practical world.

The dynamic and foreign-qualified faculty of the department teach various subjects. These relate to Medical Physiology, animal physiology, and veterinary physiology. Faculty teaches undergraduate students of DVM, BS Physiology, and BS Biochemistry. They also teach for other BS programs at the IUB, Bahawalpur which offer subject(s) specific to Physiology. Furthermore, it is also conducting substantial research work in collaboration with other departments of the IUB. It also collaborates in research with other universities.

اسلامیہ یونیورسٹی بہاولپور اور ووہان انسٹیٹیوٹ آف وائرالوجی کے زیر اہتمام مفاہمتی یاداشت کا معاہدہ

The two separate labs of the department (undergraduate and post-graduate) are fully equipped, well-furnished with the latest equipment, and fully functional which are catering to various research projects funded by the Punjab Agricultural Research Board (PARB) and Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF). The research thus emanated has been lime-lightened in various international peer-reviewed journals.

Learning at the Department of Physiology at IUB

The students at the Physiology Department, IUB, Bahawalpur get an in-depth understanding of the ‘secrets of life’ through interesting and applied aspects of medical physiology. Furthermore, they also learn animal physiology, hematology, endocrinology, electrophysiology, molecular physiology, exercise physiology, physiological biochemistry, and many others. Hands-on practical training is also part of various physiological/clinical lab techniques such as complete blood count, hematology, electrophysiology, spectrophotometry, etc.

The ultimate goal is to equip the students with strong concepts of the pathophysiology of a disease, its diagnosis, and its management. Conceptual methodology of teaching with the help of modern teaching tools, problem-based learning, and national/international collaborations of the department with various medical institutes groom future physiologists for multiple careers in medical and its allied fields.

Scope of Physiology Admission

The scope of physiology admission is very broad. The field of Physiology is continually evolving, making it a promising choice for those interested in biological sciences. The scope of physiology and its graduates include but are not limited to research and academics, biological companies, hospitals and laboratories, pharmacological research labs, and agricultural and veterinary research institutes.

It is a dire need of time that the students and their parents must realize that in the present age of specialization, the students must enter globally emerging medical fields such as Physiology. Furthermore, as the Physiology graduates are uniquely suited to teach both theory and practical aspects of biological sciences as they have a strong foundation in the life science courses, hence the relevant authorities (Punjab Higher Education Department and School Education Department) may take immediate action in including the graduates of Physiology in the eligibility (Educators Biology/Zoology) list advertised under Punjab Public Service Commission.