How do you feel about Neurosurgery

[c5212]

In a thread, someone said that they shied away from Neurosurgery because surgically, they generally have more "bad outcomes than good."

-Does anyone who has exposure to this NS find this true, and if so, how do you feel about it and cope with it?

-Are the ridiculously long hours (although high pay) and hard work worth it with this opinion in consideration?

-How does NS stand up against other surgical specialties in your opinion- prestige and fulfillment?

thanks in advance!

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[Gozar]

Wandering the floors of the neuro ICU can be really disheartening. Patients there have been on ventilators so long with their GCS hovering between 3 and 6 that it can be easy to say that they will never improve. Some never do. But looking at them is just one frame in the overall arc of their care. For many patients this arc is extremely long. Seeing them for a month may not encompass a substantial portion of this. There are many bad outcomes.

However - when a neurosurgeon makes a save on a patient it is typically very, very dramatic. It does not happen all that often, maybe a half a dozen times a year (depending on a great number of factors) that skill and luck will meet and a patient will have a great outcome. If your personality is such that this can sustain you then the field is rewarding. A majority of people need a more constant, low amplitude feedback to be happy. If you are one of these people then the field is probably not for you.

Only you can answer the second question. Wait until you get into and attend medical school before you start trying to answer it. I know that you think you work so hard right now, but once you get into medical school you will know the pain. I went to a top ten school and majored in engineering. I thought that I knew hard work, I was wrong. You should prepare yourself for long hours for the next few years of your life regardless. I feel like someone of this board said, "if you leave work and want to go back, then neurosurgery is for you."

Neurosurgery is a highly regarded field with a high level of satisfaction if your personality fits it. Once you get into medical school you will see that most people will begin to sort mainly based on personality.