The Neurosurgeon

Duties and Responsibilities:

                         Neurosurgeons perform surgery on the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves to remove tumors, relieve chronic pain and treat wounds, vascular disorders and diseases such as Parkinson's and epilepsy. They also use surgery to relieve hydrocephalus, the abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. Brain surgeons may focus on the correction of deformities and treatment of diseases of the spinal cord such as degenerative spine disorder and scoliosis. Other areas of sub-specialization include pediatric neurosurgery and radiosurgery, the targeted use of radiation to treat tumors.

Salary:  $421,032-$707,635

Education Required:

                        Before starting residency training, aspiring neurosurgeons must complete four years of undergraduate school followed by four years of medical school. Neurosurgeons then take 6-7 years of neurosurgical residency training. In the first year, commonly called Post Graduate Year One or the internship year, residents undergo training in basic clinical skills in areas such as trauma and critical care followed by 3-6 months of training in clinical neurology. Over the next six years, residents complete a total of at least 42 months training in core clinical neurosurgery.They must have a medical degree, years of residency training, state licensing, and sometimes board certification.

Demand:

                        As with many other surgical specialties, training takes many years, and the workload can be very demanding. However, neurosurgeons are in greater demand than many other specialists because of their ability to generate revenue for a hospital by performing surgery, according to a September 2010 article in “Becker’s Hospital Review.”

Reflection: I believe that Neurosurgeons are very different from other normal surgeons, but all surgeons are still very handy at their job because of what they do. I think that neurosurgeons just work on specific parts of the body but they still save lives. Being any kind of surgeon seems like a lot of responsibility, maybe even one of the dream jobs I can consider in future.