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As a student, how does one aim to come up with independent researches related to neurosrugery (for 1st author publications in high IF journals)
When you were a neurosurgery applicant vs. what you know now: what are the most important factors to consider when comparing neurosurgery residencies?
As a student, how does one aim to come up with independent researches related to neurosrugery (for 1st author publications in high IF journals)
Sorry i should have framed it better. Apologies if its lame to ask.
I meant to ask if getting published as the first author, has got more to do with asking around residents and faculty for topics/research ideas,
or independent reading and coming up with ideas on your own, and then meeting up faculty to discuss?
I feel the research ideas that I can come up with on my own would be pretty superficial to be published in a well reputed journal.
For an unpublished MS3, and looking into the charting outcomes, it seems very daunting, that the mean number of publications for the average matched applicant is 15 or so.
Could you give some advice?
ERAS 'Publications' Listing FAQSorry i should have framed it better. Apologies if its lame to ask.
I meant to ask if getting published as the first author, has got more to do with asking around residents and faculty for topics/research ideas,
or independent reading and coming up with ideas on your own, and then meeting up faculty to discuss?
I feel the research ideas that I can come up with on my own would be pretty superficial to be published in a well reputed journal.
For an unpublished MS3, and looking into the charting outcomes, it seems very daunting, that the mean number of publications for the average matched applicant is 15 or so.
Could you give some advice?
Step 1 cutoff for non-rotators used?
As a student, how does one aim to come up with independent researches related to neurosrugery (for 1st author publications in high IF journals)
Thank you for sticking around to answer questions.
How does your program handle re-applicants? I imagine it is especially tough for those who have a below-average Step 1 as they can't really improve that with a year off. Just curious as to how these applicants are discussed in rank meetings.
Step 1 cutoff for non-rotators used?
Are you applying to neurosurgery? If so, I wish you the best of luck. Hope things work out for you.
I personally have been trained to use the bovie to perform a subperioesteal dissection but I have seen attendings who use the Cobb to detach muscle bluntly. Different people at my programs do it differently. Some decompress and the fixate, some fixate then decompress. If instability is a major issue but alignment is not, I think it makes sense to fixate at least once side, whereas if you're going to do a deformity correction then I think the opposite is important.when u dissect lumbar spine do u use bovie to dissect muscle off the bone or do u use blunt dissection like a key elevator to scrape muscle off the bone.
do u put screws in before u decompress or vice versa?
Firstly, are there any openly gay physicians/surgeons that you encountered and were there ever cases of blatant discrimination against them that you noticed? I am aware that physicians are traditionally conservative so I stayed in the closet to most people, but I question its necessity. Would most colleagues go ballistic if they found out, or would they shrug it off?
I am sorry if this question comes off rude or cynical, but as someone raised in the less liberal parts of the South, I have seen extremely bad outcomes as a consequence of people being themselves and have grown to assume the worst in people regarding this matter.
Secondly, my school has an unresponsive NS department. All members of the NS faculty have yet to respond to any emails regarding a possible appointment to discuss possible mentoring/shadowing/research. I have tried emailing each of them (all 3 of them) every few weeks over the course of months and I have left messages with their secretaries.
Are there any polite options I am overlooking to reach out to them?
Thirdly, there have been 0 matches to NS from my school for the past 5 years.
Does this put me at a disadvantage for NS residencies, or does it merely mean I would be an outlier to my school?
(I wonder if questions 2 and 3 are related).
Lastly, were you involved in any service activities/services abroad during medical school? Or is service generally overshadowed by research?
Thanks for your time!
What's your opinion on the Doximity residency navigator and the Neurosurgery Rankings list (sorted by reputation)?
Does someone who trains at UCSF (Ranked #1) have a much better chance of getting a job at a major (high ranked) teaching hospital than someone who trains at the University of Illinois at Chicago (Ranked #70)?
I realize you are a Neurosurgeon, but in the case of Just Neurology.. it it crazy for an IMG w average/maybe slightly below par scores to match?
Im very interested in Neurology and if not I would probably shoot for Internal
Step 1 = 215
Step 2 = 235
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Is there a ton of inbreeding from top academic residencies to academic jobs at the same programs? Does doing your nsg residency at UCSF give you a good shot at working there indefinitely, or is it super competitive to land a job at your home program at a place like that?I think it is a poor measure at best but unfortunately all of the measures are poor measures at best -_-. I'm not a fan of how they determine reputation as I feel that it doesn't allow for much granulation when you just pick five programs off the top of your head to vote for. One of the biggest issues that comes up in residency matching is the difference between a great program and a great training program. You can be both, neither or just one.
I do find some of the secondary functions interesting such as a quick way to look up gender balance and location of alumni. That being said yes a graduate from UCSF is much more likely to end up at an academic job than a less academic program. Part of that is self selection and part of it is connections and track record.
Is there a ton of inbreeding from top academic residencies to academic jobs at the same programs? Does doing your nsg residency at UCSF give you a good shot at working there indefinitely, or is it super competitive to land a job at your home program at a place like that?
Do you guys ever do surgeries with Vascular? What is your opinion of that field?
I would think this depends highly on the quality of the fellowship, enfolded or post-graduate. Also depends on the year in residency the enfolded fellowship was done I would guess. I don't think there is a definite correct answer to this question. What do you think?Who do you think ends up better trained, residents who complete enfolded fellowships or post graduate fellowships?
I would think this depends highly on the quality of the fellowship, enfolded or post-graduate. Also depends on the year in residency the enfolded fellowship was done I would guess. I don't think there is a definite correct answer to this question. What do you think?
Columbia neurosurgery seems like it has a pretty strong preference for graduates of its medical school. Is that an admitted bias or does it just just end up that way? Would you outright pick a good Columbia applicant over a great applicant from another school? Does that change for rotators?
Thanks. Do you mean a year of research in general or at that particular institution?It is more a bias of familiarity. A great cv does not make a great fit. Doing a subi or a year of research is a big leg up because they have a more reliable sense of your mettle. Most programs have some degree of preference towards that.
Why does Neurosurgery take 7 years? That seems EXCESSIVELY long. We have a very busy neurosurgery department and a LARGE portion of the cases are craniotomies/tumor resections, spines, and smaller procedures like VP shunt, DBS. Plus with all the amazing equipments you guys have that tells you where you are in the brain, is it really necc to be 7 years? A lot of cases the attending surgeon pops in for like 20 minutes and let the residents do the rest of the entire procedure
Thanks. Do you mean a year of research in general or at that particular institution?
How are HHMI and MRSP looked upon?
Could you go over the steps of a neurological exam?
It's a tough question to answer. One of the biggest arguments against the now standardized education is that programs have different levels of exposure based on volume and other responsibilities. The reality is that as a PGY3 resident with a couple more months to go before hitting PGY4 I have completed almost all of the minimum course requirements designated by ACGME with the exception of vascular cases and being deficient for 14 cervical spine cases still. I have logged 309 minor procedures and 685 major cases. I'm still far from competent at complex surgery and the critical portions of cases to be an attending but certainly early exposure to numerous cases does provide some benefit to my education compared to a program where operative experience is more limited in the early years. There is also the fact that some residents may progress more quickly in their skills than other residents even in the same program. The best answer that I can give is that 7 years provides the greatest likelihood of generating skilled and safe neurosurgeons across 100+ programs and my advice is to find the program or programs that are going to give you the most out of those 7 years by whatever criteria are important to you.
Im actually below average slighty by probably about 30 to 50 cases compared to my co residents due to how my rotation schedule lined up. Every program has pros and cons but Pitts source of greatest strength is our operative volume. We cover about 8500 cases a year out of the 10k or so in our system. The spine experience as a two is fairly robust but the cranial experience definitely picks up as a pgy. I did the vast majority of the crani for tumor cases in the last three months during my neuronc rotatiom at shadyside hospital. I even got to do a few spine tumors which was a pleasant surprise. Theres a price for everything though. That rotation I logged 133 cases but I also saw 202 consults and ran the service by myself. Exceptional clinical volume only exists with exceptional patient turnover.Are you the average neurosurgery PGY3?
309 assistant procedures and 685 lead/senior cases is a significant volume.
That suggests to me that you will be hitting at least 2k cases as a PGY7.
i think your program is a redonculous stupendous training program to have had the opportunity to lead/senior so many cases available to you even when as a lower resident! i was expecting someone below halfway to be mostly involved with assisting the senior resident/chief/attending. for cranis perhaps pin the patient and open till dura and close dura etc. and for spines to start putting in screws at pgy2....
Do you have any advice for off-service interns rotating with neurosurgery for a month? Aside from generally being a good surgical intern, is there anything one can do in preparation?
Im actually below average slighty by probably about 30 to 50 cases compared to my co residents due to how my rotation schedule lined up. Every program has pros and cons but Pitts source of greatest strength is our operative volume. We cover about 8500 cases a year out of the 10k or so in our system. The spine experience as a two is fairly robust but the cranial experience definitely picks up as a pgy. I did the vast majority of the crani for tumor cases in the last three months during my neuronc rotatiom at shadyside hospital. I even got to do a few spine tumors which was a pleasant surprise. Theres a price for everything though. That rotation I logged 133 cases but I also saw 202 consults and ran the service by myself. Exceptional clinical volume only exists with exceptional patient turnover.
Thats amazing.
From heresay, Ive seen programs with 40-50 patients on the list. But the 1 or 2 doesnt come to 10% of what you have yet obviously they are responsible for the care of the service.
in general or in neurosurgery?Which surgical field do you predict will see the biggest growth in the next 10-20 yrs?
In general (i.e among fields which have distinct residencies)in general or in neurosurgery?
Well I think all fields that derive a lot of business from the elderly will. I would wager that gen surg grows the most but just because it is already the largest. Ortho and neuro will get a boost from arthritis and old people trauma as well as neurodegenerative diseases like parkinsons.In general (i.e among fields which have distinct residencies)
Ive logged 110 spine cases not counting wound I and Ds. Skin to skin is very attending and resident specific. I have had a couple attending who for a given case let me go to town and drop the screws on both sides while he or she watches but at this point the reality is I usually do my side and they do their side. More minor cases like chronic subdurals, vagal nerve stimulators, shunts, etc I routinely do skin to skin though, again, there is wide variation based on attending preference. Some attendings scrub the whole case no matter who they operate with.Ortho bruh here
Out of sheer curiosity, about how many spines have you scrubbed at this point?
Also, what do they let you guys do in the OR as residents? When do they let you go skin-to-skin on spines, or is that something you only get to do as a chief/fellow?