I want to be a neurosurgeon..

[jp003d9141]

HI...
Firstly, Sorry if i have posted this in the wrong place, I'm new here and haven't adjusted here yet.

Anyways, I'm 15 yrs old and want to become a neurosurgeon, how do i do it!
I know it sounds vague but i know i need to go to university, hopefully oxford, as the college I'm applying to have a high connection with oxford and cambridge uni...I'm in the UK btw...

But i just want to know what the field has in for me, like the pros and cons. And if anyone could recommend me any books which have the major beginner stuff so i can really decide if this is the way to go, especially if this college cost more then any university itself!!!

Thanks.

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[Rook16]

Man...If grammar was a person....you just punched him in the face. The language is named after you guys for pete's sake.

 

[napoleondynamite]

Man...If grammar was a person....you just punched him in the face. The language is named after you guys for pete's sake.

Strong work picking on a FIFTEEN YEAR-OLD. What a jacka$$

 

[deleted87716]

Google is your friend: http://careerfocus.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/328/7439/95

 

[astrife]

Strong work picking on a FIFTEEN YEAR-OLD. What a jacka$$

He has to learn somewhere, and if he's not getting it in the english class than what better than from an anonymous internet forum poster.

 

[daeojkim]

First thing first.

Study, learn science. Get get into medical school.

Once you are there you will be taught how to pursue any field you want.

So your first step is to get into medical school.

Good luck!

P.S. And about some insensitive comments here, just ignore them.

 

[drbruce]

I agree wholeheartedly with the above post (although the comment about grammar was pretty funny)

Your first concern is getting into a medical school and then decide if you want to go into neurosurgery. Oxbridge or not, quite honestly, you WILL have a very tough time getting a neurosurgical place.

Neurosurgery is VERY VERY competitive in the UK. I recently read there is only 1 place for every 20 candidates. This does sounds awfully low to me. Nonetheless, whatever the true figures are, your application will have to shine and I will start building your resume now. Assuming your grades are excellent, my advice would be try looking for work as a nursing assistant or as a volunteer at a hospital, when you are legally old enough. Consider joining the TA.

At medical school, do research, get your distinctions!!!! Those that get into neurosurgery in Britain are highly ambitious. Oddly enough, it is much easier for you to move to the States and become a neurosurgeon that way than stay in your own country.

As for books, buy "So you want to be a Brain Surgeon". It's highly informative and covers all the specialties, not just neurosurgery.

I personally have little interest in neurosurgery. Orthopeadics or plastics is the way forward.


Good luck!!

 

[ddwl]

Don't think that by switching to a different college ("high school" for Americans) will make it any easier for you to get into Oxford or Cambridge medical school.

They are probably two of the competitive undergraduate medical schools in the UK. Regardless of what affiliations this privatecollege has with Oxbridge, it will really count for nothing, since Oxbridge can afford to pick from candidates with the best college scores, admission test scores, etc.

Save your parent's money! Work hard at your current college and don't worry about transferring.

 

[jp003d9141]

Firstly, i am going to thank the people who answered sensible and appropriate answers...thank you.

Secondly, this goes to that ********* who has criticised my post. Henceforth, while highlighting my "stupidity" you might as well correct me, if you could over look any typos. And if you are talking about the use of ellipsis, you might want to go back to your English class and confirm the proper useage! If you haven't noticed, this is a forum, and you generally type the way its spoken, no matter what the grammar rules for English are. Also another thing, i don't think you have any right to comment on my "mistakes" as i seriously doubt that you speak any of the "correct" dialects of English..well do you?

Moving on, how is the job situation in the US and Australia? If i can't work in the UK then they were my other choices, also the only reason I'm paying for the college that price (£15-24k) is due to the fact that it is a "crammer", which allows me to finish my A-level studies in one year, rather then two, and this is essential as i don't want to study my young life away plus other fators like class size.

Also I'm not in college yet, I'm still in secondary/high school and that college is just a thought!

Thanks again, please continue posting if anyone else has any advise, and definitely post again the ********** who complained about my grammatical errors- also I'm predicted high grade for my GCSEs so stuff that in your complaints and tell them!!!

Ooops i mean "!" before he cries again!

 

[Blake]

Hey, you seem pretty motivated for an high school student. That's a great thing in my opinion, but I can't stress this enough, keep an open mind. Easier said than done, but you've got a few years before setting everything in stone, so no need to be in such a hurry (it may only be an impression, though). Good luck with college!

 

[TxMed]

Firstly, i am going to thank the people who answered sensible and appropriate answers...thank you.

Secondly, this goes to that ********* who has criticised my post. Henceforth, while highlighting my "stupidity" you might as well correct me, if you could over look any typos. And if you are talking about the use of ellipsis, you might want to go back to your English class and confirm the proper useage! If you haven't noticed, this is a forum, and you generally type the way its spoken, no matter what the grammar rules for English are. Also another thing, i don't think you have any right to comment on my "mistakes" as i seriously doubt that you speak any of the "correct" dialects of English..well do you?

Moving on, how is the job situation in the US and Australia? If i can't work in the UK then they were my other choices, also the only reason I'm paying for the college that price (£15-24k) is due to the fact that it is a "crammer", which allows me to finish my A-level studies in one year, rather then two, and this is essential as i don't want to study my young life away plus other fators like class size.

Also I'm not in college yet, I'm still in secondary/high school and that college is just a thought!

Thanks again, please continue posting if anyone else has any advise, and definitely post again the ********** who complained about my grammatical errors- also I'm predicted high grade for my GCSEs so stuff that in your complaints and tell them!!!

Ooops i mean "!" before he cries again!

get him some water b/c this boy is on fire! not only do you seem highly motivated, but your eloquent rant shows a certain "ballsy" attitude that, along with a great accent, could slingshot you into a US college and medical school. go ahead and step across the pond. Neurosurgeon's make about 6X more in the U.S.


tm

 

[jp003d9141]

Thanks guys, im quite cooled down now - just had some hot pasta which burned my tongue and i think i displaced my anger!

 

[khjb007]

　

 

[johnny_blaze]

go ahead and step across the pond. Neurosurgeon's make about 6X more in the U.S.


tm

What????? Have you taken a tally of how much each neurosurgeon in the U.K takes home? What are you basing this on? Private work in the U.K is very rewarding as is academics due to clinical excellence awards, and most consultants do both. Malpractice indemnity insurance is about 6x higher for U.S neurosurgeons than they are for U.K consultants (obviously varies between states). Just because you might know of a neurosurgeon claiming to make $700k a year doesn’t actually mean he’s taking anywhere near that amount home with him.

 

[DOC 2 B]

jp003d9141, good for you that your that determined to be a neurosurgeon, but as you said your only fifteen years old and you have your whole life in front of you. Keep your mind and options open. Even if your goal remains to become a neurosurgeon, let you worry about it when the time is right. Right now focus on your studies so that you can have the oppurtunity to becoming a neurosurgeon. Take everything day by day and stay focused, do that and you will become whatever you want to be.

PS: sorry for the parents tone of voice but take to account what i said, you sound like a smart young man. Hoped it helped

 

[jp003d9141]

you definitely have to grow up first before even considering becoming a doctor
boy

Oh, i know; I'm so immature- i get offended when people attempt to offend me!
Maybe next time you should try to understand the argument before you post; old man!
And also thanks Doc 2 Be, i totally understand and you have helped quite alot. I had forgotton about this post, but i was scrolling down today and this was still up here!

This section moves quite slow!

Well dont matter.

 

[neuro2bjc]

At medical school, do research, get your distinctions!!!! Those that get into neurosurgery in Britain are highly ambitious. Oddly enough, it is much easier for you to move to the States and become a neurosurgeon that way than stay in your own country.

It actually is difficult in America (as it is in any other country) to get into a residency, especially Neurosurgery. I too am 17 and want to become a neurosurgeon, but for one sole purpose, which is to help the poor and offer my services and experience to them once I graduate. It is good you have ambitions. I wish you luck and remember when you don't know "where you are going" remember who you are and why you want to do this. good luck.

 

[Onco]

Thanks guys, im quite cooled down now - just had some hot pasta which burned my tongue and i think i displaced my anger!

dude.. you need to grow up and become a man first. deciding on a tough career at 15 yrs is emotional/immature at best.

dont think too far.. you'll mess up the present.

g/l

 

[Lunaris]

dude.. you need to grow up and become a man first. deciding on a tough career at 15 yrs is emotional/immature at best.

dont think too far.. you'll mess up the present.

g/l

you know a wise man once said.. grow a dick, become a man and pursue your path.

 

[drbruce]

I too am 17 and want to become a neurosurgeon, but for one sole purpose, which is to help the poor and offer my services and experience to them once I graduate.

I'm sorry but I have never heard anything so corny in my whole life. Please dont quote this in your medical school interview since you will be laughed out of the interview room. No experienced interviewer is going to fall for student idealism. This is the real world. Doctors are still people at the end of the day and therefore we have the same needs as everybody else in the world. Why have you picked neurosurgery above the other fields?

If your sole purpose of entering neurosurgery is to help people then I advise you to find an easier job like nursing or getting a qualification in plumbing and selling your services to the poor in exchange for very little money. In reality doctors don't really contribute that much to the nations health. The best kind of medicine is preventative medicine. Everyone from healthcare educators to architects have played a significant part here.

Secondly, everybody is entitled to life - the rich and the poor! The days of Robin Hood are over.

 

[Blake]

We should rename this forum to ''high-schoolers career choice'', haha.

 

[supernova33418]

Im a 17 yr old as well, In the middle of applying to med school, assuming I get accepted in 2007 i too would like to become a neurosurgeon. JP dont let anyone get you down and make you feel as if your goal is inattainable it isnt if this is what you want then go after it with all you've got. it is my dream and i intens to make it a reality. best of luck in your studies. Take care

 

[random-dude]

Man when I was in highschool I was thinking about girls and football not about becoming a doctor, let alone a neurosurgeon. Study hard and blah blah blah, but have some FUN while you can. Medical school is tough especially for those who want to specialize and you will wish you had lived it up a little before starting such a long road.

Good luck though!

 

[akademiks1989]

LMAO @ this thread.

1 Timothy 4:12:
“Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you teach, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity”.

 

[Onco]

Man when I was in highschool I was thinking about girls and football not about becoming a doctor, let alone a neurosurgeon. Study hard and blah blah blah, but have some FUN while you can. Medical school is tough especially for those who want to specialize and you will wish you had lived it up a little before starting such a long road.

Good luck though!

Yeah.. exactly..

Become a NORMAL man first.. have fun with girls and sports.. You really dont wanna become a weirdo who has strange fascinations/desires at the age of 40 years... That can happen to confused/weird teens..

 

[cdql]

hi guys! i too am 12! and i'd love to become a neurosurgeon because I love helping people

i mean making that million dollar salary as a spine doc

i mean helping people

I hate to poo on anyone who is really determined to be a neurosurgeon. But at 15, I just find it hard to believe. More likely, I believe these kids went to a doctor's salary website, found out that spine surgeons make the most, and figured out neurosurgery is one way to get to that path.

 

[Tired]

I hate to poo on anyone who is really determined to be a neurosurgeon. But at 15, I just find it hard to believe. More likely, I believe these kids went to a doctor's salary website, found out that spine surgeons make the most, and figured out neurosurgery is one way to get to that path.

I dunno, I think the kid has a sack for coming on here and asking questions. Even if his career path changes (probably will), it shows that his testicles have, in fact, dropped out of his abdomen. Too bad he's English, he might have a real shot at being someone if he were an American . . .

There were only two things I thought about at 15:

1) "Will this homeless guy buy me beer if I give him an extra three bucks?"

and

2) "How come I haven't gotten any p*ssy yet?"

 

[medstud15]

hey im 15 too and want to b a NSG but i was wondering since most of u are experienced MS's and residents...

why is it so bad to choose early?..what if u cant see urslef doing anything else?..what if u just like being in a hospital for 48 hours straight...??(then that means ur weird i know...but dont say that)

 

[luv2sd]

hey im 15 too and want to b a NSG but i was wondering since most of u are experienced MS's and residents...

why is it so bad to choose early?..what if u cant see urslef doing anything else?..what if u just like being in a hospital for 48 hours straight...??(then that means ur weird i know...but dont say that)

I think it has more to do with immaturity. Not as in "being childish" but more like "not experienced yet"

Go to college, take upper level science classes, and go to medical school and spend a few years studying medicine before you decide buddy. It's never too late.

 

[cdql]

what if u cant see urslef doing anything else?..what if u just like being in a hospital for 48 hours straight...??(then that means ur weird i know...but dont say that)

1) Then it means you're not looking hard enough

and

2) Weird is incorrect. The word you're looking for is sick.

 

[naegleria brain]

haha this thread is funny...

to the kids out there, i understand your choice to be a brain surgeon. honestly, i don't think any kid out there knows that brain surgeons actually operate on the spine majority of the time. if they saw those spine salaries, theyd be chiming "ortho ortho!" but they want nsg, which shows motivation to be the best

to the one that asked whats so bad in choosing early and not being able to see yourself do anything yet? i ask you, have you ever broken up with a girl and thought life was over? eventually you get over it and realize that life goes on. same with this decision; there are so many opportunities it's impossible. i know because i had my mind set on cardiology as a kid. when i got into med school, i realized i'd absolutely hate it. at 15, in high school, youre still learning about debroglie and, if youre really smart, differential equations, not tacrolimus-lined stents and HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitors. Big difference.

Dream big, but realize that you can't jump from high school to brain surgery. Medical school is your next step. I know in England there's no undergraduate component - so just get in, and stay in (I heard it's easy to get kicked out there)

Americans do make more. But if you want to practice here, you need to do residency here, which means you have to do extremely well on your boards. first get into medical school then worry about those exams (again, analyzing a Tale of Two Cities isn't exactly good prep for recognizing goitrogenic drugs)

And you may think you like being in a hospital 48 hrs straight; my response to that is try doing it. i'm not talking about shootin the breeze with friends or a girlfriend all night and sleeping all day. i'm talking staying awake all night, all day, all night, all day, and not passing out till your normal bedtime that night. much easier said than done; again, no need to try this as theyll make you do that as a medical student...

actually, ive heard that med students are worked off their a$$e$ only in american med schools; other schools not as intensely, but still pretty intense...regardless, you can't know unless you actually are constantly running from patient to patient all night long without sleep or food

it's great youre focused; don't ever lose your ability to dream big! but realize at 15 that everyone changes their minds. think how different life was for you when you were 10 years old. in that five years, think how much can change when you're 20. if you love it - get into medical school first. can't really cut that corner.

and as for saving the world - medicine does not do that. we serve people who pay for a purpose. it's not a service, it's a job. you're not benefitting anyone. and to be totally honest, after working your butt off for four years in college to get into a medical school, and then even harder for four years in medical school, and then 7 years of residency with no sleep, constantly getting pimped and beaten, the money aspect is kinda nice when it's your light at the end of the tunnel. learn this now - medicine is not a charity. if that's what you want, become a general practitioner, and go volunteer in the peace corps or in darfur. THAT's a service.

as for the maturity thing - youre 15, its expected to be immature. don't let it get to you as that comes with age, obviously. when i was in medical school, i still giggled that i was cutting off cadavers' penises to study the anatomy. if you've ever seen the 12 types of medical students, i was definetely the immature one.

now i'm the angry one...so much for maturity i guess

oh yeah - enjoy life as a teen. those carefree days are over once med school starts.

 

[medstud15]

haha this thread is funny...

to the kids out there, i understand your choice to be a brain surgeon. honestly, i don't think any kid out there knows that brain surgeons actually operate on the spine majority of the time. if they saw those spine salaries, theyd be chiming "ortho ortho!" but they want nsg, which shows motivation to be the best

to the one that asked whats so bad in choosing early and not being able to see yourself do anything yet? i ask you, have you ever broken up with a girl and thought life was over? eventually you get over it and realize that life goes on. same with this decision; there are so many opportunities it's impossible. i know because i had my mind set on cardiology as a kid. when i got into med school, i realized i'd absolutely hate it. at 15, in high school, youre still learning about debroglie and, if youre really smart, differential equations, not tacrolimus-lined stents and HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitors. Big difference.

Dream big, but realize that you can't jump from high school to brain surgery. Medical school is your next step. I know in England there's no undergraduate component - so just get in, and stay in (I heard it's easy to get kicked out there)

Americans do make more. But if you want to practice here, you need to do residency here, which means you have to do extremely well on your boards. first get into medical school then worry about those exams (again, analyzing a Tale of Two Cities isn't exactly good prep for recognizing goitrogenic drugs)

And you may think you like being in a hospital 48 hrs straight; my response to that is try doing it. i'm not talking about shootin the breeze with friends or a girlfriend all night and sleeping all day. i'm talking staying awake all night, all day, all night, all day, and not passing out till your normal bedtime that night. much easier said than done; again, no need to try this as theyll make you do that as a medical student...

actually, ive heard that med students are worked off their a$$e$ only in american med schools; other schools not as intensely, but still pretty intense...regardless, you can't know unless you actually are constantly running from patient to patient all night long without sleep or food

it's great youre focused; don't ever lose your ability to dream big! but realize at 15 that everyone changes their minds. think how different life was for you when you were 10 years old. in that five years, think how much can change when you're 20. if you love it - get into medical school first. can't really cut that corner.

and as for saving the world - medicine does not do that. we serve people who pay for a purpose. it's not a service, it's a job. you're not benefitting anyone. and to be totally honest, after working your butt off for four years in college to get into a medical school, and then even harder for four years in medical school, and then 7 years of residency with no sleep, constantly getting pimped and beaten, the money aspect is kinda nice when it's your light at the end of the tunnel. learn this now - medicine is not a charity. if that's what you want, become a general practitioner, and go volunteer in the peace corps or in darfur. THAT's a service.

as for the maturity thing - youre 15, its expected to be immature. don't let it get to you as that comes with age, obviously. when i was in medical school, i still giggled that i was cutting off cadavers' penises to study the anatomy. if you've ever seen the 12 types of medical students, i was definetely the immature one.

now i'm the angry one...so much for maturity i guess

oh yeah - enjoy life as a teen. those carefree days are over once med school starts.

wow thanks a lot to all these people who answered me...especially the person above

i fully understand the fact that at my age i can change easily...but even when i was 8..this is what i wanted to do..yes im sick i guess..but i will take ur advice and take it one step at a time..starting with getting into college and med school..then i will see what happens..


i just wanted to say that i feel very honored that i get to take to NSG residents and MS's and i look forward to being in ur postion someday...

thanks again

 

[NeuroFP]

Hopefully I'll see all of the aspiring neurosurgeons at the conferences in 10 years.

 

[Green Pirate]

Damn, the 12 year old has almost 700 posts.

he was joking. you might be joking about not realizing he was joking too, in which case the joke is actually on me

 

[NeuroFP]

he was joking. you might be joking about not realizing he was joking too, in which case the joke is actually on me

I thought that he was sincere when I first glanced at the post, but then read the whole thing later and thought it was funny. I'm suprised no one on this thread revealed themselves as anything below 10.