- A neurosurgeon must complete a minimum of 14 years of study to be qualified to perform surgery on people's brains. The 14 years includes four years of pre-med, four years as an M.D. and six years of residency. However, many students add an extra two years to obtain a master's degree and another one to two years in a subspecialty fellowship. The actual total adds up to about 20 years of studying before one is able to practice as a brain surgeon. Not surprisingly, a brain surgeon is one of the most prestigious and highly lucrative jobs in history.
- A typical workday finds a brain surgeon assessing, evaluating and diagnosing patients with potentially life-threatening diseases such as brain tumors. Operating on a patient with a tumor, cancer or other disease can take up the entire workday for a surgeon as it involves preliminary tests before the surgery, preparation and the surgery itself. Because this type of surgery is extremely sensitive and requires great care, a surgeon may spend an entire day performing all necessary procedures. Other daily activities may include follow-ups with previous patients as well as consultations with new ones. A lot of time is spent explaining procedures to patients and visiting with pre- and post-surgery patients.
- A brain surgeon also spends a significant amount of time conducting research. Fine-tuning new surgery methods, testing new medications, developing new treatments and staying on top of new research by other doctors are crucial parts of any brain surgeon's job. Some brain surgeons may also put aside a part of their day to participate in laboratory and pharmaceutical research, which often entails looking at specimens under a microscope and testing for chemical reactions.
