What Does it Take to Become a Neurosurgeon?

The general path to becoming a neurosurgeon looks like this: school > test > school > residency > specialization.

The first educational step in becoming a neurosurgeon is getting an undergraduate degree. Technically, any undergraduate degree would be sufficient, but the less science you have, the harder you’ll find it is to get into med school and do well there. Therefore, most undergraduates who are planning to become doctors major in pre-med, biology, chemistry, biochemistry, or some combination thereof. Since doctors need communication skills, you’ll need English and humanities as well.

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a solid base of math and physics in there. Actually, that’s an understatement: some medical schools require calculus to get in, and some schools spell out how much of each science/area you need to take (two semesters minimum of organic chemistry, two of inorganic, two of biology, two of English, one of calculus).

After undergraduate school, of course, comes medical school. The best medical schools are both difficult and competitive in entry, so you’ll want to make sure your undergraduate grades are very high. How high? Don’t be surprised if the medical school is choosing among candidates who all have A averages.

In addition to your grades, there’s the test: the MCAT, a standardized admission test for medical school (MCAT = Medical College Admissions Test). The MCAT has three multiple choice sections covering physical sciences, verbal reasoning, and biological sciences, and a fourth section where students provide a writing sample.

Finally, since medical school entrance is so competitive, you may need something beyond great grades and test scores to get in, like extracurricular activities.

Once you’re in medical school, you get several more years of medical training. Four years is the standard length, but some schools vary that a little bit. The format of medical school also varies a little, but the most common distribution of courses requires two years of classroom studies, followed by two years in clinical settings. The classes involve more science, but are more specialized and applied. You’d study things like histology, in which you look at living tissues on a microscopic level, in your first year. (Some schools start their clinical education earlier, so you can start developing skills and applying your studies earlier.)

After medical school come residencies for another three to five years. That’s when you would really finally get a chance to become a neurosurgeon. You’d move through a number of specialties, assisting experienced doctors and treating real patients under supervision. During this time you’d try to match your desires with your skills. Surgeons must have fine motor control and be able to handle considerable stress. The supervising physicians would make suggestions about which areas fit you best, and you’d try different specialties. You’d start in general surgery, then move on to neurosurgery.