Finding a Brain Surgeon

Have you ever heard of the phrase “it’s not like it’s brain surgery?” Well, many of the operations that neurosurgeons perform are indeed brain surgeries. Neurosurgeons specialize in the surgical treatment of diseases affecting the brain and nerves. There are few disciplines, even among medical specialties, that require such a long commitment to school and training as neurosurgery. Aside from the many years of training, there is an inherent respect and deference that is paid to neurosurgeons, even among other doctors and surgeons. Cutting into a person’s brain requires a calm hand, a thoughtful approach and unwavering dedication to the practice. If you are in the process of finding a neurosurgeon, you must also dedicate yourself to finding the right neurosurgeon.

 

While each medical school and university hospital may train dozens of medical residents and general surgeons each year, only a handful of medical students are selected to pursue neurosurgical residency training at each institution in a given year. What does this mean to you? The task of finding a neurosurgeon can be difficult because there are relatively few of them. In one respect this is a bad thing because finding a neurosurgeon with which you are comfortable and one who is available to perform the surgery when you need it may involve a bit of luck. There are simply too few trained and board-certified neurosurgeons to be overly picky. In fact, people in many rural areas simply do not have a single neurosurgeon within a reasonable distance of where they live. The good news is that since the training is so selective and so rigorous, the chances are very good that the neurosurgeon that you are sitting across from is among the most skilled and highly trained people on the planet. In order to be called a neurosurgeon, that person has had to exhibit almost superhuman stamina, attention to detail and steadfast precision. Regardless of training, you still deserve to have a neurosurgeon that you trust.

 

Being “board certified” in neurosurgery means that you have finished medical school near the very top of your class, excelled at three standardized medical exams, and completed at least seven years of neurosurgical training. These seven years include 80+ hours of work each week. Thus when you set about finding a neurosurgeon, you should ask questions that are specific to your case. What is the complication rate? What complications should I expect? What will recovery be like? What will aftercare be like? How comfortable are you with this procedure? Will you be available to me after the procedure? Despite their lofty public image, you should feel comfortable with your neurosurgeon and be able to ask questions until you are satisfied.