some programs have a heavier cranial case load than others, but spine is a big part of what neurosurgery is, and every single neurosurgery program does a significant amount of spine work. You can't / shouldn't avoid it. Unless you are an academic surgeon who has sub-specialized in a specific type of cranial work, you will be expected to do a mix of spine and cranial work.
As a medical student during my third year rotation in neurosurgery I found it unsatisfactory because of the angulation of the incision site. You are either scrubbed in by the patients legs, standing behind the surgeons, or at the head of the best behind the anesthesia curtain. It was a whole lot of watching and often other than the instruments being passed back and forth I really had no idea what was being done. My opinion is much of the disinterest that I had in spine at the time was because it was frankly boring and often really long. Once I actually started to participate actively in the cases as a sub-i, I enjoyed them a whole lot more.
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