The Art of Neurosurgery

The Art of Neurosurgery 

Actarisha Shekina Glory

Working with a neurosurgeon is like working with a meticulous artist, who pays attention to every miniscule detail in his canvas – even the ones that are not immediately visible to the eye.

 

It’s no secret that neurosurgery is one of the most sought out and even romanticized branches of medicine one can acquire after receiving a Doctor of Medicine degree, considering how many neurosurgeons you see in the media (such as Grey’s Anatomy, Gifted Hands, and even Doctor Strange), for they work with the most delicate and complex part of the human anatomy; the brain, and its nervous system. As its name, a neurosurgeon is a qualified surgeon who focuses on the diagnosis and surgical treatment of the central and peripheral nervous system, such as trauma, vascular anomalies, infections of the brain or spine, and strokes (Brennan, 2021). More importantly, they also have the set of skills to deal with more life-threatening brain diseases, such as meningitis, brain tumors, and epilepsy (NHS, n.d.). This specialized area of surgery is also known for being one of the most demanding fields, with unpredictable surgical hours and extensive studies.

 

Being a neurosurgeon is no simple feat. For starters, you must obtain a bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences, which, in Indonesia, lasts about 3 to 5 years. Afterwards, fresh graduates must undergo a residency program, where you will come face to face with real life medical situations. This residency program lasts about 1 to 2 years, and is a mandatory phase to furthering your career. After completing your residency program, you will have to take a specialized test, called Ujian Kompetensi Dokter Indonesia (or UKDI for short), to see if you are qualified to receive your license (Surat Tanda Registrasi, or STR) to work as a legal doctor registered under the government. You will then have to take an internship program for one year before officially becoming a doctor. Your journey typically ends there if you were to be a general practitioner. Most medical students take extra years to study to become a specialist. If you are to become a neurosurgeon, you must take another five years to complete your study in neurosurgery. Overall, your journey to being a neurosurgeon takes about 10 to 14 years. Talk about dedication!

 

               In the US, neurosurgeons pump out an average of 18 researches per year; the highest number amongst other surgeons (Med School Insiders, 2020). This is due to the fact that neurosurgery is a highly academical field with spacious rooms for improvement on the outcome of the patients’ conditions. Kailish Narayan, MD, stated that, “The brain and the spine are unforgiving, and they have very little power to recuperate or heal.” (Schierhorn, 2013). It is also a highly unpredictable job, with frequent and extensive emergency calls that can last up to 15 hours per surgery. Skills are not only the things needed inside an operating room, but also the ability to take direction, integrity and willingness to learn. According to Jason Seibly, DO, “Initiative, motivation and interpersonal skills are the most important traits we seek.” They should also be creative in approaching a case, as not every case is the same as what they might encounter in a textbook. Because the brain controls the human body, and the spinal cord distributes such orders for the body to function, neurosurgical care is highly important not only for the present, but also for the future. As previously stated, it is one of the most demanding fields in medicine. The brain and the nervous system and both extremely intricate and delicate parts of the body; one wrong movement and a patient could be paralyzed, or worse. Other than that, the whole body is lined with neurons, sending messages to your brain and each and every limb – it’s impossible not to encounter a neuron in the human body. Head and spine trauma contributes to most of the mortalities caused in modern trauma. Benign tumours, strokes (both haemorrhagic and ischemic), and abscesses are curable, but need neurosurgical care to do such. As time changes, so will these diseases, and it doesn’t close the possibility of more neurological and spinal disorders and problems to appear (Dempsey, 2018).

 

               To summarize, neurosurgery is one of the specialized branches of surgery, where they deal with anomalies occurring in the brain and/or the spinal cord. They undergo an extensive study length in medical school and dedicate hours upon hours of their time to the operation room. They are a much-needed force in the medical field because not only do they treat life-threatening diseases such as brain tumours and strokes, both of which have a high mortality rate, they are also the leads in cutting edge treatments to the ever-meticulous nervous system, as they follow the development of magnetic resonance imaging, CT scans and other advances that are used to further study the brain, which is a crucial weapon to combat the ever-changing times, and with it, the ever-developing anomalies within the nervous system.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bibliography

Brennan, D. (2021, June 23). What is a Neurosurgeon? Retrieved August 29, 2021, from https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/what-is-neurosurgeon

Dempsey, R. J. (2018, October). Editorial. Global neurosurgery: the role of the individual neurosurgeon, the Foundation for International Education in Neurological Surgery, and “service through education” to address worldwide need. Retrieved from Journal of Neurosurgery: https://thejns.org/focus/view/journals/neurosurg-focus/45/4/article-pE19.xml

Med School Insiders. (2020, March 7). So You Want to Be a NEUROSURGEON [Ep. 6].

NHS. (n.d.). Neurosurgery. Retrieved September 2, 2021, from https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/doctors/roles-doctors/surgery/neurosurgery

Schierhorn, C. (2013, October 31). How to become a neurosurgeon. Retrieved September 2, 2021, from https://thedo.osteopathic.org/2013/10/how-to-become-a-neurosurgeon/