Neurosurgery Training-way

[Ulric]

Hi everyone!
During my application to med-school process I spent some time in a neuro-surgery department, and came to think of it as a specialisation option. So I made my research about the training path to follow to become a neurosurgeon, and here is what I've found - please correct me if I'm mistaken.

Med-school (4/5/6-yrs)
|
Foundation1
Foundation2
|
ST1 : Core neuroscience
ST2 : Initial neurosurgical training
ST3 : Initial neurosurgical training
ST4 : Full time general neurosurgical training
ST5 : Full time general neurosurgical training
ST6 - ST7 - ST8 : CCT & Special interest training
|
Consultant

Instead of any other surgery specialty which would do:

Med-school (4/5/6-yrs)
|
Foundation1
Foundation2
|
ST1 : Core general surgery
ST2 : Core general surgery
ST3 : Specialty
STX : Specialty
|
Consultant

So this would differ from any other surgical specialty which would be chosen from ST3, after two years of "core general surgery". Is neurosurgery training apart from the core-surgery pathway?
In fact, I thought I would count on the two years of 'general surgery' to try and choose a specialty, and I find it somewhat frightening to get into the 'core neuroscience' without having tried it as well as other specialties...

Maybe neurosurgery can still be caught up after 'core surgery'? Or would such a choice mean giving up on these two general years and starting from the beginning of the 'core neuroscience' again?

Well, I still have some time ahead to make my mind, but still, I was wondering this. So if you have any piece of information, or point of view about it, feel free to share!

Thanks for reading!

[alex MD]

I think neurosurgery is 'run through' training mate, whereby you start at ST1 and go straight to ST8 (providing you pass all assignments which I imagine would be no mean feat). Whereas in the other surgical specialities, you do the 2 year core surgical training (CST) then apply for the surgical speciality you want to pursue a career in at ST3 level. I imagine you could do the CST, then if you decided neurosurgery was your thing, apply for ST1 positions. However, I don't know how possible this is with MMC intricacies (and b.s.). Hazarding a guess, I think that neurosurgery is run-through, and the subsequent ST1+2 years are core neuroscience training, due to the complexity of neuroscience and giving you experience in applying those concepts to surgical management of diseases and trauma.

[Ulric]

Thank you for these details Alex!

But then, if this is a choice you have to make before doing the core surgical training, are the foundation years enough on their own to decide what specialty you want to pursue a career in?
I assume it must depend on if you're lucky enough to get a placement in the departments you wanted to give a try to, doesn't it?

[andy2]

"if this is a choice you have to make before doing the core surgical training, are the foundation years enough on their own to decide what specialty you want to pursue a career in?"

Good question. Most of the rest of the world start specialist training/residency straight after their intern year and seem to manage it fairly well. Foundation years do allow for 'taster weeks' to try out specialties you've not experienced during FY, which should help.

In the end you can't really know if a specialty is right for you until you do it, although its possible to have a fair idea - but starting specialty training in one specialty does not mean you can't change your mind and change to another specialty.