Aspiring neurosurgeon

[neuromaria9]

Hi everyone! So I am 2 months shy from graduating high school and I know that most of you have probably gone through this process so I was looking for advice.

Neurosurgery is something I'm very passionate about. I don't think I've ever spent so much time thinking about a career as much as this one. I've spent days watching surgeries on Youtube and just reading up about cases and types of surgeries. I'm so fascinated by it and it makes me really happy and for the first time in a LONG time, I have found something that makes life seem worthwhile. Anyways, my family is not really able to pay for college right now so I decided to just start at community college (I did get into a university in nyc tho but after thinking about it, I'm not sure I'm exactly happy with that choice) and then transfer to a better school in a year or two. However, I am worried that it will lower my chances of going to medical school. I do not think community college is bad, but I know that there are various stereotypes flying around about people who attend cc. But even so, my parents are not exactly thrilled with my idea of being a neurosurgeon. My mom has told me multiple times how I should change my career path and how I might not be up for it but I am not going into this blindly, I know the costs and the challenges that I'm going to have to face and that this is a life long career choice. Technically, I will be studying all my life. I know I have what it takes to care for patients, I have the passion for it and I am not EXCELLENT at math and science but I am willing to work for it and put everything I got into this.

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[spiffysteve]

Do you have an actual question? People may be able to give you better advice if there's some specific things you want to know.

I guess my advice for the moment is to read up on the forums about the actual lifestyle and requirements for neurosurgery. It's undoubtedly fascinating, but it is extremely difficult to actually match into neurosurgery, and then it's a rather grueling schedule and lifestyle. Working as a doctor is about a lot more than just doing the cool procedures. Try to find some shadowing experiences to see if you can get a good idea of what being a neurosurgeon is actually like. Also here is a rather gargantuan thread you may find interesting.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/ask-a-neurosurgery-resident-anything.958231/

As for your community college worries, a lot of people on these forums have taken classes at community colleges and then transferred to 4-year institutions. Getting into medical school by doing so is absolutely possible. Here are a few links if you want to read more.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/prereq-courses-at-community-college.1178400/
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/community-college.1157308/

Why don't you want to attend the NYC university?

 

[tvelocity514]

Hi everyone! So I am 2 months shy from graduating high school and I know that most of you have probably gone through this process so I was looking for advice.

Neurosurgery is something I'm very passionate about. I don't think I've ever spent so much time thinking about a career as much as this one. I've spent days watching surgeries on Youtube and just reading up about cases and types of surgeries. I'm so fascinated by it and it makes me really happy and for the first time in a LONG time, I have found something that makes life seem worthwhile. Anyways, my family is not really able to pay for college right now so I decided to just start at community college (I did get into a university in nyc tho but after thinking about it, I'm not sure I'm exactly happy with that choice) and then transfer to a better school in a year or two. However, I am worried that it will lower my chances of going to medical school. I do not think community college is bad, but I know that there are various stereotypes flying around about people who attend cc. But even so, my parents are not exactly thrilled with my idea of being a neurosurgeon. My mom has told me multiple times how I should change my career path and how I might not be up for it but I am not going into this blindly, I know the costs and the challenges that I'm going to have to face and that this is a life long career choice. Technically, I will be studying all my life. I know I have what it takes to care for patients, I have the passion for it and I am not EXCELLENT at math and science but I am willing to work for it and put everything I got into this.

That's great you have so much enthusiasm, but realize that the majority of people are going to change their mind. Going to a community college won't hurt your chances of getting into Med school as long as you keep a 4.0 gpa and then continue to keep good grades at a good school afterwards. Just do really well on the mcat and put a lot of time into studying for it. That plus your good gpa will do well. Don't focus on neurosurgery right now, but focus on doing well in college to get into Med school. Once in med school, do well on step 1, do research, and then get in on some surgeries to see if you still want to do it. Good luck.


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[mmmcdowe]

Merging threads

 

[neuromaria9]

Do you have an actual question? People may be able to give you better advice if there's some specific things you want to know.

I guess my advice for the moment is to read up on the forums about the actual lifestyle and requirements for neurosurgery. It's undoubtedly fascinating, but it is extremely difficult to actually match into neurosurgery, and then it's a rather grueling schedule and lifestyle. Working as a doctor is about a lot more than just doing the cool procedures. Try to find some shadowing experiences to see if you can get a good idea of what being a neurosurgeon is actually like. Also here is a rather gargantuan thread you may find interesting.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/ask-a-neurosurgery-resident-anything.958231/

As for your community college worries, a lot of people on these forums have taken classes at community colleges and then transferred to 4-year institutions. Getting into medical school by doing so is absolutely possible. Here are a few links if you want to read more.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/prereq-courses-at-community-college.1178400/
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/community-college.1157308/

Why don't you want to attend the NYC university?

Thank you so much!! I currently live in VA and I'm not sure going out of state right now is the best choice plus I know I can get into a better school.

 

[Instatewaiter]

Neurosurgery is something I'm very passionate about. I don't think I've ever spent so much time thinking about a career as much as this one. I've spent days watching surgeries on Youtube and just reading up about cases and types of surgeries. I'm so fascinated by it and it makes me really happy and for the first time in a LONG time, I have found something that makes life seem worthwhile. Anyways, my family is not really able to pay for college right now so I decided to just start at community college (I did get into a university in nyc tho but after thinking about it, I'm not sure I'm exactly happy with that choice) and then transfer to a better school in a year or two. However, I am worried that it will lower my chances of going to medical school. I do not think community college is bad, but I know that there are various stereotypes flying around about people who attend cc. But even so, my parents are not exactly thrilled with my idea of being a neurosurgeon. My mom has told me multiple times how I should change my career path and how I might not be up for it but I am not going into this blindly, I know the costs and the challenges that I'm going to have to face and that this is a life long career choice. Technically, I will be studying all my life. I know I have what it takes to care for patients, I have the passion for it and I am not EXCELLENT at math and science but I am willing to work for it and put everything I got into this.

Posts like these get to me. They are so full of certainty yet have absolutely no earthly idea even the simiplest things about whatever specialty they are so certain about. It tends to be either trauma surgery or neurosurgery as these are popularized and romanticized. Let's start from the beginning.

You found something you are certain about yet haven't even spent much time researching it, experiencing time in the OR or the like. While I appreciate your enthusiasm, perhaps spend some time figuring out what neurosurgery actually is. I assure you, neurosurgery is much less glamorous than it seems. It entails exceptionally long hours in not only residency but also as an attending, many crappy outcomes and a lot of lawsuits. You are essentially gauranteed to get sued. 20% of neurosurgeons are sued EACH YEAR.


You act like you know what NS actually entails but how on earth do you know the "costs and challenges." Assuming you get into medical school and are miraculously at the top of your class and match into neurosurgery, realize you will be working 90 hours per week. This will entail waking up really freaking early and working an average of 14- 15 hour per day six days per week for 7 straight years. Assuming a total of an hour for eating, an hour for travel to and from work, 30 minutes to get ready in the AM. You will get 7 hours to yourself each day which also includes all of your sleep. There is a reason most NS programs have an exceptionally high divorce rate.

Don't jump the gun. Take one step at a time. You're talking about probably the most competitive specialty in medicine. Let me put this in perspective. Of a given freshman class at a strong 4 year university about a quarter will be pre-med. After a year, half will have eitther dropped being premed or not made the grades to make it a viable option. Same thing the next year. overall, about 1/10th of people who came in pre-med will even get to the point they take the MCAT. Of these self selected students roughly half won't have a good enough MCAT score to make applying a reasonable option. Of those who even get to applying, half cant get into medical school.

So of the college class, most were near the top of their high school class. Of these people only the very top will make it into medical school. So any given medical school class was the cream of the crop from mainly the most selective universities in the country. TO make it into NS, you need to be the top of this class who were the top of the college classes. I'm not saying you can't do this but it seems presumptuous that you're just going to waltz into the most selective of medical specialties when by statistics you won't make it to medical school much less into NS residency. On top of this, this is coming from a guy who couldn't make it into a reasonable Virginia state school...

But, do exceptionally well in CC classes. Make it into either UVA or Wiliam and Mary and work hard. Who knows, maybe you'll be a neurosurgeon someday.

 

[neuromaria9]

Posts like these get to me. They are so full of certainty yet have absolutely no earthly idea even the simiplest things about whatever specialty they are so certain about. It tends to be either trauma surgery or neurosurgery as these are popularized and romanticized. Let's start from the beginning.

You found something you are certain about yet haven't even spent much time researching it, experiencing time in the OR or the like. While I appreciate your enthusiasm, perhaps spend some time figuring out what neurosurgery actually is. I assure you, neurosurgery is much less glamorous than it seems. It entails exceptionally long hours in not only residency but also as an attending, many crappy outcomes and a lot of lawsuits. You are essentially gauranteed to get sued. 20% of neurosurgeons are sued EACH YEAR.


You act like you know what NS actually entails but how on earth do you know the "costs and challenges." Assuming you get into medical school and are miraculously at the top of your class and match into neurosurgery, realize you will be working 90 hours per week. This will entail waking up really freaking early and working an average of 14- 15 hour per day six days per week for 7 straight years. Assuming a total of an hour for eating, an hour for travel to and from work, 30 minutes to get ready in the AM. You will get 7 hours to yourself each day which also includes all of your sleep. There is a reason most NS programs have an exceptionally high divorce rate.

Don't jump the gun. Take one step at a time. You're talking about probably the most competitive specialty in medicine. Let me put this in perspective. Of a given freshman class at a strong 4 year university about a quarter will be pre-med. After a year, half will have eitther dropped being premed or not made the grades to make it a viable option. Same thing the next year. overall, about 1/10th of people who came in pre-med will even get to the point they take the MCAT. Of these self selected students roughly half won't have a good enough MCAT score to make applying a reasonable option. Of those who even get to applying, half cant get into medical school.

So of the college class, most were near the top of their high school class. Of these people only the very top will make it into medical school. So any given medical school class was the cream of the crop from mainly the most selective universities in the country. TO make it into NS, you need to be the top of this class who were the top of the college classes. I'm not saying you can't do this but it seems presumptuous that you're just going to waltz into the most selective of medical specialties when by statistics you won't make it to medical school much less into NS residency. On top of this, this is coming from a guy who couldn't make it into a reasonable Virginia state school...

But, do exceptionally well in CC classes. Make it into either UVA or Wiliam and Mary and work hard. Who knows, maybe you'll be a neurosurgeon someday.

I understand what you're saying and I agree but maybe it's due to my personality, I just don't see things the way you do. I have a lot of doctors in my family who, yes, have told me the same things you have, and some who don't see things in a negative light but after all you do know more than I do because I'm just a senior in high school. Either way, I'm a determined person and maybe I won't be a neurosurgeon or maybe I will, who knows. There's no telling without actually putting the work in it and education matters more to me than anything else. Maybe I'll change my specialty in med school. I won't know unless I go out there and do something about it instead of being scared.

 

[gyngyn]

Long term goals are reached by mastering each milestone in the proper order.
Your current milestone is getting A's in college.
Next milestone would be transferring to the best university you can do well in and learning the content that will support a successful MCAT score.
As you do this, begin to explore medicine (not just NS) by service and research.
Medical schools are not looking for neurosurgeons. They are looking for talented, service-oriented people who have distinguished themselves in academics and in their lives.

 

[neuromaria9]

Long term goals are reached by mastering each milestone in the proper order.
You current milestone is getting A's in college.
Next milestone would be transferring to the best university you can do well in and learning the content that will support a successful MCAT score.
As you do this, begin to explore medicine (not just NS) by service and research.
Medical schools are not looking for neurosurgeons. They are looking for talented, service-oriented people who have distinguished themselves in academics and in their lives.

Thank you

 

[barsoum.michael]

Hey I just started my first year at a 7 gear medical program and like you I really was into neurosurgery so I decided to shadow a neurosurgeon in my junior and senior year of high school. I can't tell you that surgeries are 7 hours long most of the time and it is an insane work load. I'm starting to lend myself towards oncology.

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[barsoum.michael]

Try shadowing a neurosurgeon as soon as possible it will look good on your resume for med school and you'll experience first hand what I did

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[gyngyn]

Try shadowing a neurosurgeon as soon as possible it will look good on your resume for med school and you'll experience first hand what I did

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We're more interested in seeing shadowing of generalists.

 

[grapp]

Like the other posts have said... Try to scrub in with a surgeon at least to see if you enjoy it. I myself, last Friday scrubbed in with a general surgeon and absolutely loved it... However, I wouldn't do general surgery... I'd much rather prefer something else if I get there....

Homework OP:
- What medical terminology can be described for removing the skull cap?

 

[deleted245139]

Just don't forget... The one time you shadow, you only remember the crazy case, the cardiac arrest, the trauma arrest. That's the 1-5%. Once you are deep in things, the day to day is 80% or so.... the grind.... The lac, the benign abd pain, the lap chole. You found your field when you found the one where at minimum, you can deal with the grind, but better yet, one where you enjoy the grind.

Just make sure you don't walk out of one shadow shift thinking you have everything figured out.

Work hard and good luck!

 

[neuromaria9]

Like the other posts have said... Try to scrub in with a surgeon at least to see if you enjoy it. I myself, last Friday scrubbed in with a general surgeon and absolutely loved it... However, I wouldn't do general surgery... I'd much rather prefer something else if I get there....

Homework OP:
- What medical terminology can be described for removing the skull cap?

Craniotomy

 

[neuromaria9]

Just don't forget... The one time you shadow, you only remember the crazy case, the cardiac arrest, the trauma arrest. That's the 1-5%. Once you are deep in things, the day to day is 80% or so.... the grind.... The lac, the benign abd pain, the lap chole. You found your field when you found the one where at minimum, you can deal with the grind, but better yet, one where you enjoy the grind.

Just make sure you don't walk out of one shadow shift thinking you have everything figured out.

Work hard and good luck!

Thank you so much!