Neurosurg Prospect

[lifesaver]

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Hi,

I have several questions regarding neurosurg in Canada:
1) Given the different grading systems of different medical schools, how are applicants assessed? What sort of other criteria (in terms of research and others) are sought for?

2) Can anyone provide me with detailed information for NS in the various medical institutions? I know U of T has a detailed NS site. But I am not aware of the ones for other schools.

3) In the past, what were the odds that Mac students been successfully accepted into NS residency in different medical institutions?

Thanks in advance

 

[Blake]

Hi,

I have several questions regarding neurosurg in Canada:
1) Given the different grading systems of different medical schools, how are applicants assessed? What sort of other criteria (in terms of research and others) are sought for?

2) Can anyone provide me with detailed information for NS in the various medical institutions? I know U of T has a detailed NS site. But I am not aware of the ones for other schools.

3) In the past, what were the odds that Mac students been successfully accepted into NS residency in different medical institutions?

Thanks in advance

Finally, another Canadian. 😉

1) I've always wondered about this. We do not have step 1 and it's difficult to assess the quality of each applicant. I suppose that your class rank will be important, but like a NS told me, they couldn't care less about your basic science grades. Getting honors in neurosurgery electives and getting great letters of recommendation should be ''enough'' to secure a residency spot somewhere. I suppose matching at Toronto or Mcgill could be slightly harder, but not that much, considering how nobody applies to neurosurgery in Canada. Look at the match results for the last 5 years. The match rate hovers around 85-90% for canadian medical graduates and up to 100%. In Quebec, there's like 4 applicants each year for 2 spots, and half of these guys aren't NS material, so the match is pretty much a formality.

Research can help you, but it's not going to stop you from being a competitive applicant here. Do it if you enjoy it. Otherwise, you could spend your summer time shadowing or traveling around the world. Balance never hurts 👍

2) Check this website. It might help you, but not by much (http://p090.ezboard.com/bpremed101). I'm still looking for a canadian version of nsmatch, but I don't think such a site exists. It's unfortunate that most medical schools have zero info on their websites. Planning sub-is will be a pain...

3) No idea, since I'm not a mac student. Carms' website can give you that information though. I'm quite happy to be at a school with a growing and well-respected NS program and with a good reputation (we've recently had a gamma-knife and our students took the 2 residency spots available in our province in 2005).

Hope that helps.

 

[lifesaver]

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I have also checked out the CARMS stats. I think last year there were a total of 15 applicants for 10 quotas. However, I have also heard that NS is pretty competitive here. How are these two pieces of info resolved?

 

[Blake]

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I have also checked out the CARMS stats. I think last year there were a total of 15 applicants for 10 quotas. However, I have also heard that NS is pretty competitive here. How are these two pieces of info resolved?

I think you've got the numbers wrong. There was a quota of 15 residency spots. 10 of them were filled. 5 were left vacant, including a spot at Toronto (The largest neurosurgery residency program in North America, with over 30 residents and as many attendings). Anyway, from what I've heard for residents and attendings, it's not really competitive. Then again, it's all relative. You probably won't find it competitive if you have the grades and letters to back you up, but getting these might be hard , hence the competition. It's like applying to med school. Some people find it incredibly hard to get a seat somewhere, while others have a ratio of acceptances/interviews close to 100 % (well, at least where I live).

A PGY-4 told me that when she applied, there were 3 residency spots available in our province, and a whooping total of 3 applicants. Did she find it competitive ? Hell no ! She was an exceptional med student, so she didn't have trouble getting the grades and letters she needed, so it was basically ''easy''. Maybe things would have been different had she been in the bottom of her class. Who knows ? I've also talked with an attending who switched out of Ortho to enter NS. He basically told me to stop worrying over residency choice, saying that matching isn't as hard as people make it out to be. I trust him, considering he's now the PD of neurosurgery. I've heard the same thing by plenty of surgeons I've shadowed, the latest one basically telling me to ''just come into thoracic surgery''.

Anyway, maybe this can convince you a little bit more.
% of students matched to first choice of discipline (neurosurgery) :
2005 : 83 %
2004 : 81 %
2003 : 77 %
2002 : 93 %
2001 : 82 %
2000 : 100 % 😱

We're pretty far from the abysmal match rates of derm or plastic surgery. Just the fact that you're getting interviews means you're in business. Look, you're a medical student, you're interested in something no one else cares about (their loss), and there needs to be future doctors treating all these patients. Do the math. 😉

Bottom line is if you really want this, you'll work hard enough for it and you'll probably get it. You can PM me for more questions if you wish. Good luck !

 

[vtrain]

I sometimes wonder if the reason less people are applying into neurosurg is somehow related to the fact that less people are applying into neurosurg.

 

[HamOnWholeWheat]

I sometimes wonder if the reason less people are applying into neurosurg is somehow related to the fact that less people are applying into neurosurg.

Point taken.

 

[N-Surge]

I sometimes wonder if the reason less people are applying into neurosurg is somehow related to the fact that less people are applying into neurosurg.

The real question is whether this is more the case in Canada as compared to the USA.