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How come neurosx/ortho are so competitive despite "no jobs"?


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PGY6 neurosurgery resident here, so here are my 2 cents about this topic.

 

Personally I am happy with my career choice and I wouldn't do it anything else (even if offered derm/ENT/rad/ophtho). I thought neurosurgery was the coolest thing as a 3rd year med student, and I still think it is the coolest thing now that I've actually dissected and clipped aneurysms, instrumented lots of spinal columns and evacuated a bunch of hematomas. I'm overall satisfied with the care we provide to patients with debilitating conditions, and honestly I feel that we help out people 95% of the time. People tend to focus on the terrible outcomes, and neglect the forest behind the tree.

 

About the prestige thing, well I guess that depends on the individual. Pretty sure none of my neighbours ever found out what I did for work, and I can't pull the neurosurgeon card on my wife to get what I want so I guess tough luck for me, haha. Over the years, I have seen plenty of premed, med students, residents and staff with ginormous egoes, so I don't think that this is exclusive to our field. I just like being chill and courteous to everyone. Call it good manners, I guess. I am not a deity, nor the president of the USA or NASA's top astronaut, so keeping the ego to a minimum is only reasonable.

 

Not sure where A-stark had his neurosurgery experience, but that is different from mine. Most of our craniotomies here for GBM/mets take 3-4 hours, and I haven't been that often in 9 hours surgeries. Again I see a comment about poor outcomes and how patients don't return to their baseline. Not trying to sell you on neurosurgery, but let's be honest, there is absolutely no way that we would still be allowed to practice if there was no overall patient care benefit to our field.

 

As for fellowships, it is my understanding that fellows do get to bill as surgical assistants and so on, provided they pass the FRCSC exam. I expect to make some decent change next year, and this was clearly discussed in my fellowship interview.

 

I like neurosurgery a lot, but it did not stop me from having a life. I think my wife and family would agree. I may have been in a unusual position though, and I don't chat that often with guys in other programs so maybe I've had it way easier than the rest of my colleagues. All I know is I've gone through residency relatively easily, without any major fuss. I didn't sacrifice that much in my personal life (I got married to an amazing woman, I still read the news and watch sports, I have watched every episode of Game of Thrones, and I can still kick ass at HALO), I've developed some pretty amazing skills over the years, I have cared for thousands of patients and I bet most of them are thankful. I am not that worried for a job after my fellowship (I will leave it at that), and my dream car list is only getting bigger.

 

So yea, don't feel too sorry for me...

 

Nice to hear some potential positivity about surgical specialty job market. All we hear lately is doom and gloom.

 

I didn't know fellows could bill first assist for OR's. Is that province or situation specific?

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Nice to hear some potential positivity about surgical specialty job market. All we hear lately is doom and gloom.

 

I didn't know fellows could bill first assist for OR's. Is that province or situation specific?

 

I'd like to know that as well

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