Question to residents about technical skills in neurosurgery

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A

afib123

I am a M3 thinking of applying to neurosurgery as I have really liked the field. But something that worries is me is whether I will be able to master the technical skills required in neurosurgery?
I have talked to residents at my institution and they told me it's rare in their opinion for people to struggle mastering the technical skills and it's usually the work ethic and hours that they found challenging in their early years.
I wanted to see what your opinion was regarding that. How much should I be concerned about not being able to master the technical skills if I really like the field and I am comfortable with the tough hours and lifestyle, especially during residency.
Do you guys come across people that have to drop from the program because they can't master the technical skills required to be a neurosurgeon?

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Technical skills usually are not an issue, but there may be some self-selection among people that go into the field. If you are bad with your hands in general or have difficulty working under a microscope, this may not be a good fit.
 
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Very few people are naturally gifted surgeons. I've only met one trainee out of 30 that fit that definition thus far in my program. Being unable to perform surgery due to poor dexterity is even more rare. Other characteristics such as judgement and perfectionism are much more important for patient outcome.
 
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