What kind of education and training does a neurosurgeon have?
A neurosurgeon has undergone many years of education and training. First, one must obtain a bachelor’s degree which usually requires four year of college. Next comes four years of medical school. Then comes an internship in general surgery, which usually lasts one year. This is followed by a number of years of residency, which is essentially an apprenticeship in which the training neurosurgeon works with and scrubs beside an experienced surgeon, learning the skills of the trade. This specialized apprenticeship generally takes from five to seven years. After this is completed, the surgeon may open up a practice, or may choose to continue training in a subspecialty of neurosurgery, during what is known as a fellowship. This may take an additional one or more years. After this, the surgeon will typically begin the practice of neurosurgery.
