I'm wayyyyy too young to be talking about this.

[Logic101]

So...
Hello doctors, surgeons, and medics.
I'm a 14 year old boy living in Maryland (just made it past the 13 year age restriction
I've always loved medicine and doctoral practices. That's why I research certain types of diseases and first-aid methods. But there's one subject that's always interested me... neurosurgery. You see, the idea of knowing about the brain is a lot more attractive than the heart or the lungs (my opinion). But recently I came upon this interesting discussion:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/lifestyle-of-a-neurosurgeon-academic-private.83852/
That post made me question my standards of a good medical career. I've always had a dream of becoming a doctor, and with almost perfect GPA scores, I think I can get there (although most medical schools only accept those with 3.75+ Scores, not including AP or GT, which is fine)
Thus, I'd like to ask all of the doctors out there: is neurosugery a good career for me? I understand the sacrifices I would have to make and the hardships along the way, but for such an elegant job, I'm willing to give it my all. Because I know... I was born to do this
Thanks for your opinions,
Will
P.S. Is Minimalist M here? I'd have to thank him for such a wonderful explanation.

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[mmmcdowe]

I'm not sure that I understand you question. Are you saying the lifestyle is a deal breaker for you? If so, then no it isn't. Otherwise, we don't know you well enough to say if it is a good fit for you. Try this out to test the waters, but ultimately no one can tell you if it is going to be worth it for you personally:

http://schools.studentdoctor.net/selector

Also, I am going to move this to hSDN.

 

[Logic101]

Thanks! For your question, I just wanted to know a little bit more about Neurosurgery. It seems like everyone believes it to be a difficult job to handle, so I was wondering if anyone else had the same problem or had some advice about this.

 

[deleted480308]

You haven't handled all of puberty yet...one battly at a time

Just enjoy your teenage years, get good grades and don't get arrested. Relax

 

[Logic101]

Haha... Thanks sir!

 

[mmmcdowe]

Thanks! For your question, I just wanted to know a little bit more about Neurosurgery. It seems like everyone believes it to be a difficult job to handle, so I was wondering if anyone else had the same problem or had some advice about this.

Many people describe challenges in life as a sprint or a marathon. Neurosurgery residency is a marathon of sprinting. It is doable and even enjoyable overall, so long as you are motivated and passionate about the field.

 

[ComputerGuy365]

So...
Hello doctors, surgeons, and medics.
I'm a 14 year old boy living in Maryland (just made it past the 13 year age restriction
I've always loved medicine and doctoral practices. That's why I research certain types of diseases and first-aid methods. But there's one subject that's always interested me... neurosurgery. You see, the idea of knowing about the brain is a lot more attractive than the heart or the lungs (my opinion). But recently I came upon this interesting discussion:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/lifestyle-of-a-neurosurgeon-academic-private.83852/
That post made me question my standards of a good medical career. I've always had a dream of becoming a doctor, and with almost perfect GPA scores, I think I can get there (although most medical schools only accept those with 3.75+ Scores, not including AP or GT, which is fine)
Thus, I'd like to ask all of the doctors out there: is neurosugery a good career for me? I understand the sacrifices I would have to make and the hardships along the way, but for such an elegant job, I'm willing to give it my all. Because I know... I was born to do this
Thanks for your opinions,
Will
P.S. Is Minimalist M here? I'd have to thank him for such a wonderful explanation.

I'm a Teen as well, looking to pursue a career in medicine. You don't need to decide your major this early, let alone your speciality. You will find out if Neurosurgery is right for you if you attend med school. If you can find a Neurosurgeon to shadow (That's pretty hard considering your age) you can see if this is the field you would like to enter. Also, high school is much different than college. Also, your high school grades don't even matter for med school, but a work ethic is good to build.

 

[Mad Jack]

You won't be able to decide whether neurosurgery is something you can handle until you get a bit older and stay to get a feel for where your priorities lie. Things will come to fill your time over the years that you might not want to give up just for the sale of cutting open skulls all day- love, maybe kids, some hobby or cause that you'd rather not let fall by the wayside, the sort of traveling that becomes difficult to arrange in a field like neurosurg, etc. One step at a time. Get into a decent college, and reevaluate how you feel then. You'll find that you essentially feel like an entirely new person every five years or so, and that ideas that seemed great at 13 are not so much at 18 or 23.

 

[hippo_crates]

I'm kind of in your boat, except I'm a couple years older and going into my last couple years if high school. Right now no one at your age or mine can say what specialty they want to be if and when they finally get into medicine. You're only fourteen so the priorities that you've set for yourself are bound to change and the things that you want out of life (a successful career, a family, a good working environment) are going to change as well. You and I can't realistically determine whether a specialty is right for us when we aren't even in med-school yet, let alone college and so I would just say to you that enjoy your upcoming high school years. Figure out what you want to do with your life because medicine is not the only career out there and you may never know where you're interests may take you

 

[RSB715]

I'm a pre-med and considering neurosurgery. This isn't something you will know fully though until you are in medical school and working through your clerkships. You have a long way to go. Focus on taking as much science as possible in high school, graduating with as high of a GPA as possible, and getting into a good science/premed undergrad program. You have so much life experience yet to go. I've known since I was your age I wanted to be a doctor, but neurosurgery was the LAST thing I could've ever seen myself considering at that age. A life altering medical diagnosis and two brain operations (third on the way) changes perspective on a lot of things. You never know what life has in store. Last piece of advice: don't go full speed ahead in one direction, take time out to smell the roses. I know it sounds cliche, but it really is true. You never know what you've got until it's gone, or the prospect of it all being taken away from you is a distinct possibility. And it can happen in the blink of an eye. Enjoy your teenage years! Enjoy being young! You have a lot of time to figure this stuff out! Good luck!

 

[Logic101]

Thanks everybody! Reading your posts have made me calm down and stop worrying. I'll do my best. I appreciated your kind advice, and would like to thank everybody to take their time to respond to someone who needed help.

 

[Fatalis]

So...
is neurosugery a good career for me? I understand the sacrifices I would have to make and the hardships along the way, but for such an elegant job, I'm willing to give it my all. Because I know... I was born to do this

Sorry to burst your bubble....you really don't "understand" the sacrifices,etc let alone what a NS day to day is like. It is great you are taking interest at 14 years old but you literally have all of high school and university/college to find out what interests you.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

Take it one day at a time. Get through high school and into college first. You are going to change your mind a million times by the time it's actually time to make the decision on which specialty you would like to go into (or even if you want to become a physician at all). Worry about what you can change right now. Get good grades. Volunteer. Don't get into trouble. This is how you can assure yourself that you will be in a good position to become a neurosurgeon down the line.

As far as the lifestyle...I do know a neurosurgeon and although the life looks great on the outside (because of tangible items), he looks to be 20 years older than he really is because of the stress. It depends on your love for the specialty and your personality. Honestly, you are the only person that will be able to know if it is right for you when the time comes.

 

[DesertPT]

An hSDN poster who wants to be a neurosurgeon, surprise surprise. Why isn't anyone on here ever interested in any other specialties?

Sorry to be the cynic, but I would be shocked if more than 5% of the people who post in high school that they want to be brain surgeons actually become brain surgeons.

 

[username456789]

An hSDN poster who wants to be a neurosurgeon, surprise surprise. Why isn't anyone on here ever interested in any other specialties?

Sorry to be the cynic, but I would be shocked if more than 5% of the people who post in high school that they want to be brain surgeons actually become brain surgeons.

5% is a remarkably high bar.

I wouldn't be surprise if fewer than 5% of medical students that say they want to be brain surgeons actually become brain surgeons.

 

[ComputerGuy365]

An hSDN poster who wants to be a neurosurgeon, surprise surprise. Why isn't anyone on here ever interested in any other specialties?

Sorry to be the cynic, but I would be shocked if more than 5% of the people who post in high school that they want to be brain surgeons actually become brain surgeons.

Agreed. As a hSDNer myself, I don't see how undergrads or even MS1/2 can decide their specialty so early on, let alone a high schooler.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I wanted to be a neurosurgeon in junior high school.

I am not a neurosurgeon.

 

[Fatalis]

Given all of these threads that pop up essentially asking the same thing: "how do I do field x/ interested in field x/ will I be good at specialty x/ etc" , I think we should add onto the sticky "What should I be doing now?" answering these commonly asked questions.

 

[NeuResurgens]

You're pretty articulate for a 14 year old, so I won't jump on you for thinking about this. Just remember that neurosurgery is pretty demanding, but it depends a lot on the residency you go to and your location in the country. Some of the people in that thread talked about how neurosurgeons have absolutely no life, while others said they have enough time for family AND work if that's really important to them. Obviously, the experience is extremely variable and you need to identify your own priorities when selecting specialties and residencies.

That being said, do well on the SAT and get into college.

 

[ComputerGuy365]

Given all of these threads that pop up essentially asking the same thing: "how do I do field x/ interested in field x/ will I be good at specialty x/ etc" , I think we should add onto the sticky "What should I be doing now?" answering these commonly asked questions.

.

 

[Nave]

Hi @Logic101!

It's great to see you're thinking so far ahead! But as others have said you should probably focus on your short term goals I.E. doing well on the SAT, getting into a good college, and excelling in college. Take one step at a time there's no rush. I know you probably have a million questions about neurosurgery so here is a link to a post where a neurosurgery resident does an AMA. (http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/ask-a-neurosurgery-resident-anything.958231/) Also check out (www.orlive.com) to watch videos of neurosurgery operations!

Enjoy!

 

[elprezidente]

I wanted to be a neurosurgeon for the first week of MS1. Then orientation ended and classes started.

 

[Blackjack7]

Just like everybody said, do well in school etc. you know that drill.

But I get that you're special, and have a dream. It's never too early for that. So do this:

Search contacts or go to local hospitals email etc, and find REAL neurosurgeons that are willing to talk with you and become friendly with them. Talk to them ever so often and shoot email questions, however random, to them to get a feel how they're like. Then, when you are ready (usually during the summer), ask them if they can get a shadow/job opportunity for you. At first it might be to do housekeeping work in a hospital, but eventually you may land a serious intern/shadow job with the neurosurgeon himself. Worth a shot for sure.

Rule 1 in High School about opportunities: don't be shy. Nobody will care if you screw up. Undergrads and above don't get that privilege.

 

[Law2Doc]

1. You will change your mind a multitude of times regarding specialty. No point even pretending to like a field you have yet to personally observe. Most of us found we loved some things we thought we'd hate and vice versa. Third year of med school is the time you decide.

2. Most people who go to college as "premed" don't end up applying to med school. Hurdles like organic chemistry tend to dissuade lots of people.

3. USMLE scores will help you narrow career scope. Lots of people thinking neurosurgery end up thinking neurology when they come up short on Step 1. Wanting something isn't always enough.

4. Finally, sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is a train. What seems cool to you now, at 14, might not be worth spending 100+ hours a week in the hospital a decade or so from now. Or maybe it will. Point is if you think you already know you are FOS and unnecessarily closing off other options from your brain.

 

[Simpson]

I love it when the original poster said that the "Brain was the most interesting" organ, and that the heart and lungs do not interest him.
It's funny!!!!!!! When you think of what is telling him that, then you might understand why.

 

[Simpson]

" You see, the idea of knowing about the brain is a lot more attractive than the heart or the lungs (my opinion). But recently I came upon this interesting discussion:

That is exactly what your Brain wants you to think.

 

[Simpson]

An hSDN poster who wants to be a neurosurgeon, surprise surprise. Why isn't anyone on here ever interested in any other specialties?

Sorry to be the cynic, but I would be shocked if more than 5% of the people who post in high school that they want to be brain surgeons actually become brain surgeons.

General Surgery here!
Neuro/Cardio/onco/ all combined.

 

[ComputerGuy365]

1. You will change your mind a multitude of times regarding specialty. No point even pretending to like a field you have yet to personally observe. Most of us found we loved some things we thought we'd hate and vice versa. Third year of med school is the time you decide.

2. Most people who go to college as "premed" don't end up applying to med school. Hurdles like organic chemistry tend to dissuade lots of people.

3. USMLE scores will help you narrow career scope. Lots of people thinking neurosurgery end up thinking neurology when they come up short on Step 1. Wanting something isn't always enough.

4. Finally, sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is a train. What seems cool to you now, at 14, might not be worth spending 100+ hours a week in the hospital a decade or so from now. Or maybe it will. Point is if you think you already know you are FOS and unnecessarily closing off other options from your brain.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Anyways,
Here's a word of advice OP, it's not about the destination, but the journey. As young high schoolers, we have a long way to go. Make sure you know what is involved. Medicine is a huge commitment. I'm not gonna mince words just because your in high school. It's hard. And l0ng. Know what you're getting into before it's too late.

 

[Blackjack7]

This kid was born in 2001.

2001!!!! Let that sink in.

Hey, it's Revy.

 

[Dentalogist]

obama....

 

[Winged Scapula]

General Surgery here!
Neuro/Cardio/onco/ all combined.

Except that General Surgery doesn't do any "neuro" or "cardio".

 

[Simpson]

Except that General Surgery doesn't do any "neuro" or "cardio".

Pituitary adenoma is a common abnormal growth that general surgeons remove. While, they don't operate on the brain through the cranium(they do so through the mouth). This is based off the differential provided by a source of the USMLE. The pituitary is located in the brain nonetheless, therefore, qualifies as a neuro-procedure.

In addition, general surgeons perform many procedures that deal with vascular conditions. Well, especially a trauma surgeon. The Aorta is a major part of the cardiovascular system. I can't think of any specific procedures, I have only started in the general surgery STEP 2 review.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Pituitary adenoma is a common abnormal growth that general surgeons remove. While, they don't operate on the brain through the cranium(they do so through the mouth). This is based off the differential provided by a source of the USMLE. The pituitary is located in the brain nonetheless, therefore, qualifies as a neuro-procedure.

In addition, general surgeons perform many procedures that deal with vascular conditions. Well, especially a trauma surgeon. The Aorta is a major part of the cardiovascular system. I can't think of any specific procedures, I have only started in the general surgery STEP 2 review.

FYI: I AM a general surgeon and I think I'm pretty knowledge about what general surgeons do.

General surgeons do not remove pituitary adenomas regardless of what your source says. Pituitary adenomas are also not removed "through the mouth " but classically transphenoidally (through one of the sinuses). These are done by neurosurgeons.

Most hospitals will not give privileges to do vascular surgery unless you have completed a vascular fellowship; so most general surgeons are not doing "many procedures that deal with vascular conditions".

Lastly, general surgeons do not operate on the Aorta either. While we are trained to do it during residency, we are trained by Vascular surgeons and again, increasingly difficult if not impossible for a general surgeon to get privileges to do any Aortic procedures.

I think you are confusing information that a general surgeon is required to have for board examinations and what they do in real life.

 

[Simpson]

FYI: I AM a general surgeon and I think I'm pretty knowledge about what general surgeons do.

General surgeons do not remove pituitary adenomas regardless of what your source says.

Most hospitals will not give privileges to do vascular surgery unless you have completed a vascular fellowship; so most general surgeons are not doing "many procedures that deal with vascular conditions".

Lastly, general surgeons do not operate on the Aorta either. While we are trained to do it during residency, we are trained by Vascular surgeons and again, increasingly difficult if not impossible for a general surgeon to get privileges to do any Aortic procedures.

I think you are confusing information that a general surgeon is required to have for board examinations and what they do in real life.

I am going to let board examinations define the work. In addition, which hospital do you work for. I will find some hospitals that allow their general surgeons to do pituitary adenomas. Give me a few days.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I am going to let board examinations define the work. In addition, which hospital do you work for. I will find some hospitals that allow their general surgeons to do pituitary adenomas. Give me a few days.

Why are you being so difficult about this? I'm simply trying to clarify your misunderstanding of our profession. This is not personal.

At any rate, there is no reason for me to reveal my identity or practice to you. I have over 30,000 posts here, many of which have discussed my location and identity previously. But feel free to find a hospital that allows a modern day trained general surgeon to do a pituitary adenoma. If you do, your case study does not reflect reality of practice (nor am I aware of any general surgery program that trains its residents in transphenoidal surgery).

Perhaps some other general surgeons like @Smurfette , @SouthernSurgeon , @lazymed , @ThoracicGuy, @LucidSplash , @dpmd , @drjojo or even a neurosurgeon @neusu or @mmmcdowe would like to weigh in here if you need more "evidence".

 

[Smurfette]

I personally have never seen or heard of a general surgeon being trained in, or having privileges for, pituitary surgery. Procedures on the brain are done by neurosurgeons. The extent of the board exam knowledge of this for general surgeons is to identify conditions with pituitary origin from those of other endocrine origin (like adrenal gland tumors), as there are other types of endocrine problems that do fall under the scope of general surgeons. The surgery boards do not expect GSs to be able to describe or perform a pituitary procedure.

Also, pituitary surgeries are not particularly common.

Why is a premed reading a step 2 GS review book?

 

[ACSurgeon]

As @Winged Scapula and @Smurfette point out, general surgery training no longer includes neurosurgery training. While some residencies might have their residents rotate on neurosurg for a month, this is hardly enough to emerge competent to do any neurosurgical procedure.

Same goes for cardiac surgery. I think most programs still have a rotation on CT surgery, although this isn't required by the ABS. Again, no general surgery grad is trained to do any cardiac procedure. Will I do a sternotomy for trauma and try to fix a hole in the heart? Sure. Will I electively every operate on the heart? No! Pericardial windows and simple thorax cases are still within the realm of general and trauma surgeons, but this wouldn't be counted as "cardio."

Finally, it has become increasingly difficult to do vascular surgery without fellowship, although still possible with a senior partner willing to mentor you. This would usually be limited to peripheral vascular (first time bypasses, vein procedures, etc). More experienced general surgeons might try their hands on a carotid endarterectomy if they do them with some frequency (usually rural setting or run-down urban hospital). Would be shocked if a general surgeon did an elective aortic procedure of any sort. Even vascular surgeons talk about their struggle doing open aortic procedures thanks to endovascular techniques. Again, cross clamping the aorta for trauma hardly makes one a vascular surgeon.

 

[ACSurgeon]

Why are you being so difficult about this? I'm simply trying to clarify your misunderstanding of our profession. This is not personal.

At any rate, there is no reason for me to reveal my identity or practice to you. I have over 30,000 posts here, many of which have discussed my location and identity previously. But feel free to find a hospital that allows a modern day trained general surgeon to do a pituitary adenoma. If you do, your case study does not reflect reality of practice (nor am I aware of any general surgery program that trains its residents in transphenoidal surgery).

Perhaps some other general surgeons like @Smurfette , @SouthernSurgeon , @lazymed , @ThoracicGuy, @LucidSplash , @dpmd , @drjojo or even a neurosurgeon @neusu or @mmmcdowe would like to weigh in here if you need more "evidence".

Doesn't seem like @Simpson is interested in reality. Not sure arguing with him is useful. Let him be and one day he'll be a disappointed general surgeon who only does appys and choles, and the occasional hernia and breast case

Obviously long shot that he gets into medicine let alone anything surgery. I was going for best case scenario

 

[mmmcdowe]

I am going to let board examinations define the work. In addition, which hospital do you work for. I will find some hospitals that allow their general surgeons to do pituitary adenomas. Give me a few days.

General surgeons do not do pituitaries. I am sure someone somewhere has at least once, but if you want to do pituitaries don't be a general surgeon . A general surgeons body of knowledge should be sufficient to suspect and potentially diagnose a pituitary tumor, just like I should have enough knowledge to suspect and potentially diagnose cholecystitis. You may be getting confused by the fact that in the old days residents did a general surgery residency followed by neurosurgery. More recently, people did a general surgery internship and then neurosurgery.

 

[ThoracicGuy]

I am going to let board examinations define the work. In addition, which hospital do you work for. I will find some hospitals that allow their general surgeons to do pituitary adenomas. Give me a few days.

Either you are a troll, or you just are stubborn and don't want to admit you are wrong. General surgery doesn't do neurosurgery, cardiac surgery, or typically vascular surgery. In my training, trauma patients that had vascular injuries had a vascular surgeon come in to fix it. As a thoracic surgeon, I do not do general surgery except putting ports in my lung cancer and esophageal cancer patients.

 

[Simpson]

Why are you being so difficult about this? I'm simply trying to clarify your misunderstanding of our profession. This is not personal.

At any rate, there is no reason for me to reveal my identity or practice to you. I have over 30,000 posts here, many of which have discussed my location and identity previously. But feel free to find a hospital that allows a modern day trained general surgeon to do a pituitary adenoma. If you do, your case study does not reflect reality of practice (nor am I aware of any general surgery program that trains its residents in transphenoidal surgery).

Perhaps some other general surgeons like @Smurfette , @SouthernSurgeon , @lazymed , @ThoracicGuy, @LucidSplash , @dpmd , @drjojo or even a neurosurgeon @neusu or @mmmcdowe would like to weigh in here if you need more "evidence".

I never said that the main goal of a general surgeon would be to treat adenomas. I did not ask for the name of the Hospital, just the type. Some centers are different in how they treat. I was asking for your role in more specifically, perhaps someone else is trained there to perform those procedures more readily. Suggesting that you have never performed the procedure as a general surgeon yourself would serve as a reasonable basis to represent all general surgeons would be absurd without proper evidence.

Notice my original post
General surgery
Neuro/Cardio/onco/ all combined

I never once stated the degree of practice, therefore assuming my miss reality to practice medicine is rather childish. I am well aware of the major coursework a general surgeon would undergo;however, unless I presented a degree of what neurosurgery a general surgeon undergoes, you have no basis for your case. I stated that by definition, a general surgeon is trained to do work that a trained neurosurgeon would do. You even pointed out the original differential that a general surgeon would come from to treat pituitary adenomas. ACTH levels would be the main factor that would branch this differential. Well, depending on the reaction given from a dosage of whatever the substance is they use.

 

[Simpson]

But to end this silly conversation, I am well aware of the profession of general surgery. Some people want to be trained in various procedures as a career to allow more flexibility, under the premise that all knowledge is beneficial. *facepalm

No one here is suggesting that a general surgeon will make case loads off of pituitary(neuro), cardio-vascular procedures. Any suggestions of the sort are hogwash.

I was unable to read your post LazyMed, I don't think it had anything to do with the conversation. Perhaps you can spare us some MDMA.

Finally, I am going to stop reading this post in particular. I did not know a simple and pleasant conversation could turn into a fierce debate regarding procedure. I guess I was wrong.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I never said that the main goal of a general surgeon would be to treat adenomas. I did not ask for the name of the Hospital, just the type. Some centers are different in how they treat. I was asking for your role in more specifically, perhaps someone else is trained there to perform those procedures more readily. Suggesting that you have never performed the procedure as a general surgeon yourself would serve as a reasonable basis to represent all general surgeons would be absurd without proper evidence.

Notice my original post
General surgery
Neuro/Cardio/onco/ all combined

I never once stated the degree of practice, therefore assuming my miss reality to practice medicine is rather childish. I am well aware of the major coursework a general surgeon would undergo;however, unless I presented a degree of what neurosurgery a general surgeon undergoes, you have no basis for your case. I stated that by definition, a general surgeon is trained to do work that a trained neurosurgeon would do. You even pointed out the original differential that a general surgeon would come from to treat pituitary adenomas. ACTH levels would be the main factor that would branch this differential. Well, depending on the reaction given from a dosage of whatever the substance is they use.

Just stop it.

You're backtracking. As you quoted yourself above, you claimed general surgery does Neuro and then you yourself presented pituitary adenoma as an example.

I and other surgeons told you that general surgeons do no neurosurgery and certainly don't do pituitary adenomas. We are not talking about my practice but if you must know I have worked at several major academic medical centers across the US and now work in private practice with privileges at 8 hospitals. GS does no "degree' of neurosurgery. Knowing whether the source of Cushings is pitutary or adrenal and the work up for that makes GS no more a neurosurgeon than knowing the differential for prostate enlargement makes one a urologist. It appears that you are claiming that understanding a certain aspect of another specialty constitutes "training". That is just not the case.

You said general surgeons do "cardio". We've told you that some programs have GS rotate on CT surgery even though its no longer required by the American Board of Surgery; you cannot do cardiothoracic surgery without a fellowship and as others have told you, you cannot do vascular either in many places without additional training.

Its clear you don't understand what we (and I'm using the phrase to represent general surgery as a field, not my personal practice) do, how we train and aren't interested in learning that. There is no shame in admitting you're wrong. Its a much more mature approach than arguing with me and calling me childish for challenging you.

If you want to learn more, let me know; otherwise I've said more than enough.

 

[Simpson]

Just stop it.

You're backtracking. As you quoted yourself above, you claimed general surgery does Neuro and then you yourself presented pituitary adenoma as an example.

I am other surgeons told you that general surgeons do no neurosurgery and certainly don't do pituitary adenomas. We are not talking about my practice but if you must know I have worked at major academic medical centers and now work in private practice with privileges at 8 hospitals. GS does no "degree' of neurosurgery. Knowing whether the source of Cushings is pitutary or adrenal and the work up for that makes GS no more a neurosurgeon than knowing the differential for prostate enlargement makes one a urologist. It appears that you are claiming that understanding a certain aspect of another specialty constitutes "training". That is just not the case.

You said general surgeons do "cardio". We've told you that some programs have GS rotate on CT surgery even though its no longer required by the American Board of Surgery; you cannot do cardiothoracic surgery without a fellowship and as others have told you, you cannot do vascular either in many places without additional training.

Its clear you don't understand what we (and I'm using the phrase to represent general surgery as a field, not my personal practice) do, how we train and aren't interested in learning that. There is no shame in admitting you're wrong. Its a much more mature approach than arguing with me and calling me childish for challenging you.

If you want to learn more, let me know; otherwise I've said more than enough.

Forgive my miscommunication. I did not intend to imply that.
Now can you please close this thread ?

 

[Winged Scapula]

But to end this silly conversation, I am well aware of the profession of general surgery. Some people want to be trained in various procedures as a career to allow more flexibility, under the premise that all knowledge is beneficial. *facepalm

Yes! Thats what's wonderful about general surgery: the flexibility. It allows for a wide breadth of practice and fellowships, more than almost any other. However, being trained in something (like Vascular) during residency and being allowed to do it in practice are two different issues.

No one here is suggesting that a general surgeon will make case loads off of pituitary(neuro), cardio-vascular procedures. Any suggestions of the sort are hogwash.

The reality is not that GS will do "loads" of these cases; the reality is that they will do NONE. I agree with the suggestion otherwise is hogwash.

Finally, I am going to stop reading this post in particular. I did not know a simple and pleasant conversation could turn into a fierce debate regarding procedure. I guess I was wrong.

I apologize if I came off as unpleasant however, I was reacting to your insistence that you knew more than I about the field of GS because of your readings.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Forgive my miscommunication. I did not intend to imply that.
Now can you please close this thread ?

No, because you are not the OP and there's no reason I can see to close it.

I suggest we get back to the original topic at hand.

 

[Simpson]

I am in high school.
Yea, I definitely know more about GS than a GS. lol


Before I receive a hailstorm of comments. I am being sarcastic.

 

[dpmd]

I suppose that in a small sense I could claim that as a general surgeon I could do other surgical specialties work since I have personally done burr holes, craniotomies, external fixator placements, fracture reductions, bladder repairs, suprapubic catheters, vessel repairs and bypasses, and a number of other procedures. However, the reality is that a lot of that was unique to my residency set up and partially due to my interest in rural medicine and anyway is nowhere near enough for me to be willing to do any of it in any elective setting and in an emergency setting I am still going to try to have the trained person do it unless there is are really extreme circumstances going on. There is a lot more that the technical procedural ability (which at this point is going to be pretty rusty even though I finished residency about 3 years ago and getting rustier as time goes on) that makes someone competent for a procedure so I would never claim real competence or describe my specialty as all the others rolled into one.

As for the OP even if you could make that sort of decision now there would be no value to it as the specialty may be very different by the time you are ready to begin training in it. There is no harm to learning more about it, but closing yourself off to other options isn't in your best interest at this time.

 

[Logic101]

Hello everyone
I've been busy with classes and whatnot, but today I came back and found a heaping thread of posts. I'd like to thank everybody for replying to such a mediocre post about a stereotypical subject.
I've read over most of them, and they seem to be centered around three main topics:
1.) You're too young. Do well in life, and then ask the questions.
2.) Here's some helpful advice for ya.
3.) Beat it, kid.
While it may be too early to decide, it might be too late for many others as well. Just because a kid's 14 or 15 years old doesn't mean it's still not time for him or her to consider what they will be doing for a living.
That said, there have been very valid points in this thread, so I'll consider. But I'm not one of those people who just say "I wanna be a neurosugeon" just for the fun of it. It's not the people who say it; it's the people who are dedicated.
Thanks again everyone, and happy Memorial Day for those who gave all.
Logic

 

[Law2Doc]

...Just because a kid's 14 or 15 years old doesn't mean it's still not time for him or her to consider what they will be doing for a living...

I'd say age 14-15 is absolutely not time to consider what you will be doing for a living. There's really no common sense argument to suggest you should make this kind of decision this early. There's a reason 90% of people who start college as premed (at age 17) don't even end up applying to med school three years later -- you learn more about yourself and what you really want out if life the older you get. And you look back and realize what an idiot you were when you were younger, and how little you knew. That's the natural course of things. Your only job over the next five years is to do well in school and keep doors open for yourself, so that when you ARE old enough to seriously contemplate a career, you'll have options.