Pre-requisites of a surgeon

[joco23]

What do I need to take to become a neurosurgeon? How long will that take to study?

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[schrizto]

Take classes in what? undergrad? You'd probably take the usual pre-med prereqs and maybe some neuroscience if you'd like.

as for how long it will take to study... probably 4 years of undergrad+4 years of medical school+7 years residency, I believe.

 

[NickNaylor]

Step 1: Get into medical school (complete med school pre-reqs).

Neurosurgery has a pretty beastly residency. I also think it's pretty competitive. Good luck.

 

[URHere]

As another poster said, you will need to complete an undergraduate degree (usually 4 years), apply to medical school, complete 4 years of medical school, and enter a residency which is usually 7 years long including the internship year.

So, in a nutshell - it will take about 15 years after you graduate from high school.

Neurosurgery is also one of the most competitive specialties, and many people go through 8 years with dreams of neurosurgery only to fall short of the mark.

 

[NAVY DDS 2010]

My suggestion to you as others have said is get into med school first. Once in, learn what you can and take full advantage of all your rotations. Get a great feel for everything medicine has to offer. Your aspirations may very well change. Plus, you also may find out that it might not be worth it to you to bust your butt off as much as you will have to do in med school getting high scores for putting yoruself in a good position to compete for a slot. Have you ever followed a neurosurgeon? I always thought it would be very fascinating, but once I was engaged to a neurosurgeons daughter and followed him around and observed his surgeries, I wasn't as impressed. Great field. Very challenging and rewarding. Very high income potential. But, it isn't necessarily as exciting as you may feel it will be. So, as stated before, get into med school first and take advantage of your education. you may or may not want to pursue it later on.

 

[Fovertizan]

I agree with all.