What education or skills are needed to become a neurosurgeon?
Four years of medical school, a year of internship, and then neurosurgical residency is an additional six years. So, my training was seven years after medical school. What is most challenging about what you do? Micro-brain surgery done under the microscope for aneurysms or certain deep tumors. Uses of computers for a lot of surgery is standard now, so I think using a computer for brain surgery and using a microscope for brain surgery are the most challenging aspects of the job. What is most rewarding? Personally, I think just having the patients come back and say, Thank you for helping me. I have a wall full of thank you notes. A lot of people thank me, but when somebody actually sends me a thank you card, I put it up on my wall. And after 20 years, my wall is pretty much full with thank you cards. What advice would you offer someone considering this career? The entry into medical school is pretty much now the same as it was 20 years ago. You need about a 3.6 GPA and you need to have r
