What Kind of Stuff Do You Need to Know to Become a Neurosurgeon?

A neurosurgeon is a medical doctor specializing in treatments related to the nervous system which may or may not involve surgery. Surgeries performed include brain surgery, back surgery and repair of a variety of less vital nerves. To become a neurosurgeon, you must first know everything required of a first year-med student. This often includes a bachelor's degree in biology or chemistry. You must know the course materials in medical school, tailored for a surgical doctor. You will need to master surgical skills and gain expertise in neuroscience as a resident doctor.

Biology and Chemistry

• The basis of most Western medicine is biology: the study of living things. While students entering medical school don't necessarily need to have a bachelors degree in biology, it is among the most common undergraduate degrees. One way or another, you must gain significant mastery of biology before you become a neurosurgeon. Other critical foundational knowledge includes organic chemistry and physics.

Medical School

• To be a neurosurgeon, you must graduate from an accredited medical school. As with other kinds of graduate schools, you can specialize and not all medical school programs are the same. Medical students will expand upon their science foundation to include broad topics such as embryology, genetics, anatomy and immunology. Students planning a career as a neurosurgeon will concentrate some of their focus on neuroscience.

Neuroscience

• Neurosurgeons must be experts of neuroscience, the study of the nervous system. Western medicine has evolved into specialties. Some doctors specialize in the skeletal system, muscles and joints, while others focus on a particular disease or age group of patients. Neurosurgeons specialize in the nervous system. This includes the brain, spine, nerve cells and neurotransmitters.

Surgical Skills

• It is one thing to have a conceptual understanding of neuroscience. It is another to perform surgery on a patient. You will have specific training in surgical skills. Depending on the program, you may start developing your own surgical skills in medical school. You will begin by observing other surgeons and eventually you will begin to assist. You must have mastery of surgical skills to be a neurosurgeon. After graduating from medical school, you will continue to gain mastery of both surgical skills and neuroscience as as intern.