Hi all!

I am MS3 who is planning on applying to Neurosurgery this upcoming cycle. I am honored to pursue such an amazing field filled with so many giants who have paved the way in this innovative field and others who are incredibly passionate about their work. 

I am wondering if there is anyone else here who wants to go over some neurosurgical topics covered in Greenberg and elsewhere. I have so much to learn and could really use a buddy or a mentor during this journey. I am thinking about a zoom meeting once a week... Journal club format? I am open to any ideas.

I am thankful for this community. I hope you and all your loved ones are staying safe during this pandemic.

looking for vacant spots PGY 1,2,3? to replace residents who left or resigned their residency programs

what are the chances to be matched for IMG with clinical work experience around 10 years including residency, USA research fellowship, 2 y USA clinical fellowship, low USMLE scores, average publications and research ?

Please refrain from personal attacks. It does no one any good.  We’re all gentlemen, and scholars, here.  Please represent yourselves as such.

Why do neurosurgeons do fellowships at different (especially less prestigious) institutions to their residencies? What's the point of doing a fellowship if one has already done an enfolded fellowship during their residency?

Is this an accurate depiction of the prestige of different neurosurgical journals? https://scholar.google.com/citations?vie...urosurgery

I was looking at MGH neurosurgery alumni and found this guy Eric Chang who was listed as an attending at Southern New Hampshire. This sounded like private practice so I did a bit of research and found out he went to MIT for undergrad → HMS for med school → MGH for neurosurg residency, which is pretty much perfect educational experience up until that point. Unfortunately after that he did a fellowship at New England Baptist Hospital (???), joined the faculty of UW (pretty good I guess) for a year, but then left for private practice. What makes people like this who seem set up for a career as an academic neurosurgeon leave for private practice?

Interested to hear the current practice at your program or other programs:

- steroids in acute spine trauma
- low dosage steroids in TBI
- Taper plan for brain tumors
- Using navigation for T1 or free hand
- Thoracolumbar braces for compression fractures 
- cervical collars and thoracolumbar braces after elective instrumentation and fusion

I know almost all of those points has some weak evidence but interested to hear the way you do it at your program.

Any residents hearing about mandatory temporary reassignments to help cover COVID patients? Apparently ACGME is considering that in NY if they elevate it to a “stage 3 crisis”, currently at stage 2.

Let us all take a moment to reflect on the state of the world around us, and as a community recognize the loss we were dealt today.  Dr Jim Goodrich has passed, in his 70s, in NY https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/30/health/ne...index.html

His career was highlighted by influencing many, being a kind man, and seven craniopagus twin separations.  RIP