Neurosurgery (again!.. lol)

[livil]

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I am truly sorry for bothering all the wonderful people on this forum with minor questions... but I think I will try my luck regardless and hopefully some kind and knowledgeable person will take pity on me.

I am an MS3 seriously thinking about applying to neurosurgery but am currently a little lost on how to proceed with building my CV, i.e.:

1) I have almost completed all my required third year clerkships

2) I have not completed electives in neurosurgery nor have I done any research

3) I have no connections to any prominent neurosurgeons as my school's dept is currently in the process of reorganization

Am I hopeless? Is it too late to try to do all things above now or in the near future? Should I attempt to do research before any clinical elective rotations in neurosurgery or vice versa? Any suggestions on how to proceed?

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks 🙂

 

[md_student10021]

Originally posted by livil
I am truly sorry for bothering all the wonderful people on this forum with minor questions... but I think I will try my luck regardless and hopefully some kind and knowledgeable person will take pity on me.

I am an MS3 seriously thinking about applying to neurosurgery but am currently a little lost on how to proceed with building my CV, i.e.:

1) I have almost completed all my required third year clerkships

2) I have not completed electives in neurosurgery nor have I done any research

3) I have no connections to any prominent neurosurgeons as my school's dept is currently in the process of reorganization

Am I hopeless? Is it too late to try to do all things above now or in the near future? Should I attempt to do research before any clinical elective rotations in neurosurgery or vice versa? Any suggestions on how to proceed?

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks 🙂

Here's some practical advice from someone who isn't going into neurosurgery....

(1) it's an early match, so I suggest you do 1 or 2 electives ASAP, in order to get LOR's in on time, as well as to be sure you are making the right career choice.
(2) you can always put off research until later on, by the time interviews roll around, it'll give you something to talk about.
(3) you can always do a research year prior to PGY-1 (ie, defer residency). This will allow you more time to fit in the neurosurg. electives during 4th year, and you'll be able to work on a research project in-depth before tackling residency.
(4) make sure you are otherwise competitive (USMLEs, etc.) I know the average step 1 was around a 234 (from what I heard).
(5) do your best to find a neurosurgeon mentor; good advice will go a long way toward helping you attain your career goals.

best of luck.

 

[mark md]

To CLAIRFY--

So I met with a couple people from Chicago yesterday who said that the University of Chicago program received word from the review committee 2 weeks ago that they are on probation for far exceeding resident work week hours, and too many complaints about verbal abuse and intimidation. Once again, like someone else mentioned, it is good to go see for yourself through a rotation, etc., but should you not do this, I would be forewarned. Northwestern is a superb alternative for neurosurgery in Chicago, with Hunt Batjer as the Chair you don't have to worry about the program director not being as supportive for your future applications (as is the case at University of Chicago).

 

[lipoyl]

You still have plenty of time. Try and take an elective month and do research in your school's department. Basic science is always valued more, but clinical papers are easier to come by. Make sure you register with CAS by June. Most people do their away electives between July-October. Your CAS application should be in by early Sept, so try and schedule your electives accordingly.
You will get letters of rec. from the places you rotate. Make sure you get an additional one from your program's chairman, as well as your research mentor (if you have one).

 

[oldandtired]

Consider uic in chicago. Major referral center for many neurosurgical conditions. Dont know how the residency is.