Women In Neurosurgey

Like all specialties, neurosurgery strives to attract the best and the brightest candidates graduating from accredited medical schools. Men and women considering a career in neurosurgery should have the intellectual curiosity and ability to embrace and understand the detail and complexity of the nervous system. They must have the personal and physical stamina to meet the challenges of a demanding residency and surgical procedures that often extend for many hours. Because the number of residency positions is limited, most students granted acceptance to a neurosurgical training program are exemplary, and generally rank at or near the top of their class.

Neurosurgery appeals to those individuals who find the human brain fascinating and who enjoy the physical act of correcting abnormalities of the nervous system. Although the intellectual challenge of constant learning and change may draw an individual to neurosurgery, it must be coupled with a strong desire to be an interventionist, willing to make decisions and take responsibility for those decisions. No two operations are exactly the same, and much time is spent considering the various options before choosing an approach to a problem. Stress and the challenges of dealing with critically ill patients are every day occurrences for neurosurgeons. They must be able to cope not only with death but also with the very real and difficult decisions regarding the most vital functions of the brain and spinal cord such as the ability to think, speak, see, move, and feel. Neurosurgeons are asked to communicate complex concepts to patients and family members about quality of life and risks versus benefits of surgical procedures on the most delicate organ in the body.