Answering Questions - Recent Neurosurgery Graduate

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Hi Gandalf,

Thank you for responding.
I'm from KMC, Manipal a college which has a decent reputation in the US, since a large majority of our graduates and professor eventually work in settings away from India. I understand the road is long and hard and I am willing to withstand the rigors. I do have some contacts who can help me through this, but I find this forum to put a realistic perspective on things, hence the consult.
I really don't want to live in India anymore, not that the country hasn't been absolutely splendid for me till now. I consider myself a bit of a nomad and want to live and train in other places even after I finish residency in the US.
Could you elaborate on the Post Research Program? What are the requirements? Do I need to be a Green Card Holder?
Can I apply for transitional or prelim surgery, prove my worth and reapply?
Can I take a shot and go for a few electives (2-3) in Neurosurgery, along with some (2-3) in IM, see what the path looks like and apply accordingly.
I know that for some reason people in this profession are obsessed with being obsessed with only one field just when they graduate medical school but does it really make sense to be so narrow? I wouldn't mind switching to IM at the time of applications incase the road to neurosurgery looks impossible. I really believe that I can be happy and challenged with almost any field (exceptions: Preclinical and Pediatrics) as long as I am allowed to sink my teeth into it.

Thanks a Ton,
Hope to Hear Soon!

Some people think of manipal as a party school where the rich kids pay their way into. (There are many indian senior staff at cleveland and mgh who studied at aiims and mamc.) They have this misconception.
If you have alumni who hold high positions at university programs, then theres a miniscule chance of you getting in.
Iam not going to do a post doc since i hear its tedious and 3 yrs in a lab is not my cup of tea. So no idea on how to apply. Since neuorsurg is a small community, the surgeons usually know each other and people make contacts and impress the higher ups during their 3 yr stint and publish a TON. The guys who got in had 20 plus publications.
And even this is not a guarantee of getting a residency. Many even after this route fail to get in.
I have a senior(india) who has similar scores as you , published a lot, great lors, he applied to emergency medicine for 2 consecutive yrs and didnt get a single call. He is now doing em in a prestigious program in mumbai and hes happy.
applying to both im and neurosurg is a recipe for disaster. You have to show them that youre REAAAAAHHHLLLLY interested in neurosurg and if they come to know youre applying to a safe field, then thats not good.
So once again ask yourself, if you want neurosurg because you have read about 600k salaries, then dont do it.

So to conclude, if youre willing to take the risk of not matching after spending thousands of dollars and spending years in a lab then do it.
But if theres even a chance that youll be happy with im, then take it. With your scores, you should get a good university program.

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