Neurosurgeon

Duties and Responsibilities: Neurosurgeons are doctors who diagnose and treat problems with the nervous system (often by performing surgery on the brain or spine). Neurosurgeons treat strokes, tumors, certain types of birth defects, infections and head or spinal cord injuries. The daily life of a neurosurgeon is extremely complex and demanding, with rapidly changing tasks and responsibilities. The day of a neurosurgeon starts early, frequently between 5:30 and 7 am. The neurosurgeon's primary daily responsibility is to perform surgery to resolve problems with the nervous system, but there are a number of other tasks that must also be done. These include assessing and diagnosing patients as they come in to the hospital, an unpredictable task because emergency patients cannot be scheduled ahead of time. The neurosurgeon must also meet with the families of patients in surgery and update them on the situation with their family members, as well as keeping records, writing prescriptions and filling out paperwork.

Salary: The median salary for neurosurgeons is $395,000. However, experience makes a big difference in neurosurgeons' salaries. A survey conducted in 2011 by Profiles found a median starting salary of $395,000 for neurological surgeons. After six years in practice, the average salary grew to $589,500. Yet their salary still ranges from $99,503 (being the minimum) to $718,747 (being the highest).

Education: Medical Training: Neurosurgeons begin their medical training by obtaining either a Doctor of Medicine degree, M.D., or a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree, D.O.M. While in school, medical students complete courses in areas such as anatomy and biochemistry and obtain practical training in diagnosing illnesses and completing patient medical histories. The final two years of medical training are spent completing various rotations (rotations provide hands-on experience and are conducted under the supervision of experienced physicians) in different medical specialties, including surgery. 
Residency: Assignments for neurosurgery residencies are conducted through the Electronic Residency Application Service, or ERAS, administered by the American Association of Medical Colleges. Since mid-2009, doctors who begin neurosurgery residencies must complete at least 72 months of training, including the PGY-1 -- post-graduate year 1 -- which must be completed as a full-time resident enrolled in an accredited program. Residents must complete at least 42 months of clinical neurosurgery with the final 12 months completed at a senior level, with at least 21 months completed within a single program. The PGY-1 must include at least three months of clinical fundamentals, including critical care and trauma, and may include up to six months of neurosurgery, which also counts toward the 42 months of required clinical neurosurgery training. At least three months, but preferably six months, of clinical neurology training must be completed in a program accredited by the American Council of Graduate Medical Education.
Board Certification: In order to obtain board certification, neurosurgeons must schedule oral examinations within five years of completing their residencies. The process of submitting an application and practice data and sitting for the examination usually requires 18 months, according to the American Board for Neurological Surgery. In addition to the examination, doctors must submit data for at least 100 procedures, the oldest of which must date no more than two years prior to review. Inpatients must be cases for which the doctor was the responsible surgeon; outpatient cases should also be included. Cases completed during a fellowship are not acceptable. Data should be submitted through Neurolog, located on the ABNS website. Each case must be verified by the chief of staff, chair of surgery or neurosurgery or hospital administrator at each hospital.

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Reflection: Do you think you would like to be one? Why? Why not?

I prefer not to talk about whether I would like this pathway as a career or not.