Did you have doubts

[MilesDavisTheDoctor]

It seems to me like most people who went into neurosurgery knew from an early time that they wanted to do it and didn't really have a lot of second guessing going in. Did any neurosurgeons/residents on this board have any doubts about going into the field? Whether it was about how long the residency was, how intense physically and emotionally it would be, how it would affect your social life etc...

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[ValentinNarcisse]

It seems to me like most people who went into neurosurgery knew from an early time that they wanted to do it and didn't really have a lot of second guessing going in. Did any neurosurgeons/residents on this board have any doubts about going into the field? Whether it was about how long the residency was, how intense physically and emotionally it would be, how it would affect your social life etc...

If neurosurgery is something you think you might be interested in early in medical school, I would spend a significant amount of effort exploring all other related specialties (Radiology, ENT, Ophtho, Rad Onc, Ortho, Plastics) to try to actively convince yourself not to do it. If after those experiences, you still want to do neurosurgery, then dive in head first. Residency is harder than you imagine even during your Sub-Is. There is a cost to your physical health and social life which we do our best to mitigate as a resident, but you will not have the work-life balance of your radiology colleagues for example. Also keep in mind the lifestyle of the attendings in these various fields. Both academic and private practice neurosurgeons are under immense professional pressure to build their practice, generate RVUs, publish papers, secure tenure, and build their national/international reputation. The nature of the work changes, but the hustle continues as an attending. You have to love it to be successful.

 

[MilesDavisTheDoctor]

Thanks for the response and it's funny you suggested that because it's exactly what I've been doing since I started med school lol. I'm pretty convinced I could be happy or at least satisfied in ortho and have actually spent much more time pursuing that than neurosurgery because I feel like neurosurgery is a much bigger commitment emotionally, time-wise etc... But I still have these thoughts every now and then about how cool it would be to do neurosurgery. I don't think anything in medicine gets me as excited but I can kinda see how I could end up miserable doing neurosurgery. Ortho I think the upper and lower bounds on how happy and satisfied I would be are a lot less extreme.

 

[IMG69]

Your M1 or pre step 1 at least judging from your posts? Everyone wants to do Neurosurgery, CT surgery, derm, plastics etc. Now that i'm M3, i'm the only person in my class applying to Neurosurgery or any of the above mentioned for that matter.

I'd suggest keep an open mind and wait till M2-M3 when you really get to experience the day to day of each specialty.

 

[WhittyPsyche]

Your M1 or pre step 1 at least judging from your posts? Everyone wants to do Neurosurgery, CT surgery, derm, plastics etc. Now that i'm M3, i'm the only person in my class applying to Neurosurgery or any of the above mentioned for that matter.

I'd suggest keep an open mind and wait till M2-M3 when you really get to experience the day to day of each specialty.

This, with a grain of salt.

Chase your dreams, whatever they are. I went into Med school for neurosurgery, and I am applying this year. Several of my classmates did the same, others decided a little later. We started with 10, now 6 in the upcoming cycle and just as much cycle before. For others early on wanting neurosurgery, yes be open to changing interests, but if it’s what you want, chase it.