Becoming a neurosurgeon in the United Kingdom: A road map for medical students and early career doctors

Jesuyajolu, Damilola

doi:10.1016/j.amsu.2022.103387

Cited by 3 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…6 There is, therefore, a great need for medical students and early career doctors to have access to a guide or "roadmap" of the entire process from start to finish to enable them to make informed career decisions and prepare in advance to successfully meet the demanding criteria involved in application. 1 Medical student-led skills events and conferences, therefore, represent a key means by which guidance about neurosurgery and how to complete the relevant achievements for trainee application is made more accessible to students. Considering this, our event aimed to offer high-quality teaching of multiple neurosurgical skills under expert tuition, while being accessible and low cost.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Neurosurgery is one of the most sought-after specialties worldwide, and one of the most competitive in the United Kingdom. 1 At most, neurosurgical teaching within the undergraduate curriculum focuses on basic neuroanatomy and common neurosurgery presentations relevant to the burden of neurosurgical disease that is often managed by generalists. 6 This means that there is minimal opportunity to augment or develop an interest in neurosurgery at medical school.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Neurosurgical training is one of the most sought-after specialty worldwide. 1 In the United Kingdom alone, there were 255 applications for 16 neurosurgical trainee posts in 2022 (competition ratio of 15.94). 2 As a result of this high competition ratio, there is a significant backlog of applicants, with many hopeful applicants adjusting their career plans to facilitate a second attempt at application.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 6 7 The amount of time available for interested foundation doctors to spend on developing their portfolio will also negatively be affected by the lack of support and rota gaps that arise within an understaffed National Health Service (NHS). 1 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dundee Annual Neurosurgery Skills Event (DANSE)—Improving the Availability and Affordability of Neurosurgical Skills Workshops for Medical Students

Hutton,

Ashraf,

Sescu

et al. 2024

Asian J Neurosurg

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Background Neurosurgery can be a daunting career choice for medical students, with preparation for trainee application often being inaccessible and expensive. This article describes a student-led neurosurgical skills event supported by local neurosurgery faculty members. Such event was designed to offer a means to bridge this gap by providing an opportunity to practice neurosurgical techniques in simulation, and learn about what a career in neurosurgery involves. Methods Pre- and postskills laboratory surveys were used to ascertain the baseline confidence and knowledge of common neurosurgical techniques, as well as to what both the application to neurosurgery and the typical workload of a neurosurgeon involves. The conference offered six neurosurgical workshops as well as three lectures to provide practical and theoretical learning opportunities. The session included introduction to the candidates and faculty, identification of learning objectives, and career discussion. Postcourse feedback also was also used to assess learning outcomes. Results Eighteen students attended the event. Postskills event, students were significantly more likely to understand the principles behind all of the relevant neurosurgical skills included on the day. Additionally, students were more likely to understand what a career in neurosurgery involves, and how to approach applying for a training number. Respondents enjoyed the workshops, valued hands-on experience and interactions with consultants, found it affordable, and would recommend to their peers. Conclusions For medical students interested in a career in neurosurgery, opportunities to learn relevant techniques and skills are often expensive and difficult to come across. Here, we highlight affordable methods of simulation to result in significant student satisfaction. Additionally, providing ample opportunity to practice different neurosurgical techniques under almost 1:1 level tutoring enables significant increases in students' confidence and understanding of different neurosurgical concepts. We greatly encourage other medical student groups to develop their own hands-on simulation events to attract medical students to a surgical field often considered daunting and inaccessible, and address gaps in the medical school curriculum.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Dundee Annual Neurosurgery Skills Event (DANSE)—Improving the Availability and Affordability of Neurosurgical Skills Workshops for Medical Students

Hutton,

Ashraf,

Sescu

et al. 2024

Asian J Neurosurg

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Different program structures and availability of local resources may in uence the learning mindset of neurosurgeons-in-training. [15][16][17] Of recent concern is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on postgraduate neuroanatomical training.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Current Attitudes Toward Neuroanatomy: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Survey of Neurosurgeons from the United Kingdom and Worldwide

et al. 2022

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Current attitudes toward neuroanatomy: a comparative cross-sectional survey of neurosurgeons from the United Kingdom and around the world.

Pandit

Joshi

Khan

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Objective: How attitudes towards neuroanatomy and preferences of studying resources vary by grade or geographical location amongst neurosurgeons is currently unknown. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on anatomy learning habits is also yet to be elucidated. In this study we explore these objectives, aiming to guide the development of future neurosurgeon-tailored anatomy education and resources.Methods: This was a 2-stage, cross-sectional survey. A local pilot survey was followed by a structured 17-item questionnaire which was distributed to neurosurgical trainees and consultants via social media, newsletters, and mailing lists. Survey data was collected from 20/09/2021 to 20/12/2021. Grade and nationality differences in sentiment agreement and frequency were statistically compared.Results: A total of 365 responses were received, with an overall survey response rate of 23.2% (25% U.K. response rate; 15.2-30.7% international response rate). Overall, neuroanatomy is highly regarded among most neurosurgeons and takes a central role in their professional identity. Yet, 69% of neurosurgeons stated they would like to spend more time learning neuroanatomy. Frequent prompts to study included perceived operative complexity (90%), lack of familiarity (92%) and teaching (89%) whereas factors such as operative responsibility and patient risk significantly varied by grade. Grade-dependent obstacles limiting neuroanatomy learning included financial barriers and lack of motivation, with personal commitments barriers significantly varying across geographical location. Surgical relevance (89%), accessibility (90%) and image quality (90%) were important factors when selecting anatomy resources, with cost and up-to-datedness being significantly more important to trainees than consultants. Online image searches, case-based and multidisciplinary discussions were the most frequently used learning method outside of theater. Finally, the COVID-19 pandemic saw a shift towards online or virtual resources, whilst also causing a greater impact on neuroanatomy learning amongst trainees and U.K.-based neurosurgeons.Conclusions: Attitudes towards neuroanatomy and preferences of resources vary by grade and location of neurosurgeons. Although neuroanatomy is a highly regarded, barriers exist which impede those who wish to pursue further neuroanatomy learning. Neurosurgical training programs should tailor anatomy education according to the seniority and background of their residents. Furthermore, resources that are surgically relevant, accessible and of high image-quality or more likely to be better utilized. Remedial learning after the COVID-19 pandemic must account for persistent gaps in teaching, utilizing cadaveric and operative exposure which cannot be replicated virtually.

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Becoming a neurosurgeon in the United Kingdom: A road map for medical students and early career doctors

Cited by 3 publications

References 7 publications

Dundee Annual Neurosurgery Skills Event (DANSE)—Improving the Availability and Affordability of Neurosurgical Skills Workshops for Medical Students

Dundee Annual Neurosurgery Skills Event (DANSE)—Improving the Availability and Affordability of Neurosurgical Skills Workshops for Medical Students

Current Attitudes Toward Neuroanatomy: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Survey of Neurosurgeons from the United Kingdom and Worldwide

Current attitudes toward neuroanatomy: a comparative cross-sectional survey of neurosurgeons from the United Kingdom and around the world.

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