The management of neurosurgical patients requires excellent medical and surgical skills and a career in Neurosurgery offers many challenges and rewards. To train in neurosurgery in the UK the usual route is:
- Medical degree leading to provisional then full registration with the General Medical Council
- Some doctors from abroad may have to take the PLAB test prior to registering with the General Medical Council
- 2 years of foundation jobs will then be undertaken. These may be four or six month jobs and are designed to provide general all round medical and surgical experience.
- Application for neurosurgical training posts can then be made. All neurosurgical jobs in England and Wales are appointed centrally once a year. A seperate central appointment process occurs in Scotland.
- The MRCS examination is usually taken two to three years after full registration
- Neurosurgical trainees then progress through 8 stages of training (ST1 - ST8). This usually takes 8 years. The neurosurgical curriculum and more detail may be found on the ISCP website
- The speciality board examination in neurosurgery is taken after completing ST6.
- After completing training and passing the examination the specialist advisory committee will consider whether a trainee is competent to complete training. They will make a recommendation to PMETB and if a trainee is deemed competent then they will be placed on the specialist register and allowed to apply for a consultant job.
- Alternatively doctors who can show that they have completed similar training schemes and achieved the same competencies may apply to be placed on the specialist register directly to PMETB using article 14.
- Consultants are expected to continue developing their professional skills throughout their working lives.
Useful information may also be obtained from:
The General Medical Council (GMC): http://www.gmc-uk.org/
Joint Committee on Higher Surgical Training (JCST): http://www.jcst.org/
Modernising Medical Careers (MMC): http://www.mmc.nhs.uk
Post Graduate Medical Education Board (PMETB): http://www.pmetb.org.uk/
Intercollegiate Speciality Examination Board: http://www.intercollegiate.org.uk/
Intercollegiate Surgical Curriculum Project: http://www.iscp.ac.uk