1. Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery takes the very top of the most intellectually challenging, cerebral medical specialties in the US list. It is definitely one of the most difficult medical specialty to get into. It is said to be ‘more art than science.’ Generally speaking, this medical specialty is categorized as the most intellectually challenging surgical specialty that treats patients with disorders of the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system. It is estimated that nearly about 70% of patients treated by neurosurgeons have diseases of the spine or spinal cord. There are about 3,500 practicing neurosurgeons in the United States of which 500 are in teaching centers. Neurosurgery encompasses microsurgical techniques, treatment of brain tumors, and comprehensive reconstruction of the spine. Interestingly, neurosurgery became a surgical specialty just after the turn of the last century. In order to become a successful neurosurgeon, one should be a scientist and a clinician at the same time. However, one should also be prepared to make ‘life-or-death’ decisions on a daily basis. The residency program is as complex as this very specialty seems – six years of residency training program, involving a preliminary one year of training. The preliminary year of training must be in either general surgery or spent on gaining fundamental clinical skills in some other, related medical specialty. It is important to emphasize that neurosurgeon never works all by himself – he is just a one link in the chain. This implies work with neurosurgery residents, a scrub nurse, and an anesthesiologist.
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So, what do you think? Do you agree with our listing of 11 most intellectually challenging, cerebral medical specialties in the US, or you hold your own opinion?
