The average salary for neurosurgeons is approximately $700,000 per year, with top performers earning up to $1,000,000, while those at the lower end may earn around $400,000. Factors such as malpractice insurance, which can range from $50,000 to $300,000 annually, and medical school debt significantly impact take-home pay. The path to becoming a neurosurgeon requires 14-20 years of education and training, including 5 years of general surgery and 5 years of neurosurgery residency, with optional fellowships for subspecialization. The demanding lifestyle, including 80-hour work weeks, is a critical consideration for prospective neurosurgeons.
PREREQUISITESProspective medical students, current medical students considering neurosurgery, and individuals interested in the financial and lifestyle aspects of surgical careers.
Mike H said:Two other things to keep in mind:
1.) Malpractice insurance, especially for surgical subspecialties, can be rather high. I've heard numbers ranging from $50,000 to $300,000 per year being tossed around for neurosurgeons, depending on the details of their practice.
2.) There is a more-than-reasonable chance you will have medical school loans to pay off, not to mention a number of years of rather unextraordinary salaries to make up for by the time you've finished your residency (and possibly even a fellowship or two).
This, of course, presumes one gets into med school, graduates high enough to get a neurosurgery match, makes it through the program, and so on.
DaveC426913 said:One thing to factor in is what expenses surgeons have. Unless I'm mistaken, like doctors, that may not be "take-home pay"; they may operate sort of like small businesses, having to pay for things (such as an office and assistants) out of that money.
Mike H said:Ahh, OK, I was thinking in terms of "take-home salary," which of course malpractice insurance cuts into a fair bit.
The only people I know who uniformly, to a person, have medical school paid for by scholarships are those in the funded MD/PhD programs, not a regular MD program. I haven't known anyone in a regular MD program to get by solely on scholarships, although obviously plenty have had the full cost defrayed by what's out there. But hey, if your parents are willing to shell out for four years of med school, I'd take them up on the offer.
The fellowship thing, from what little I know of it, is typically an opportunity to further develop in a subspecialty in neurosurgery, which could be very beneficial/profitable down the line.
godwinscareer said:Another thing to consider is lifestyle...Neurosurgeons work about 65 hrs a week and also have to take call so..they end up working like 80 hrs a week!...they have no time for their family...and also the salaries of doctors are going down now i heard...
gmunoz18 said:Are you willing to work 80 hours a week for 10 years making about 45k in order to become neurosurgeon.
5 years of general surgery + 5 years of neuro + fellowship if you want to subspecialize
Neurosurgeons are a breed of their own it is one of the most competitive specialty to get into. Dont do it for the money
Englishman said:Of course. I am going to be a neurosurgeon, and besides, I have to work for 14-20 years to become one. I already know that it is one of the most competitive specialties to get into. I am very meticulous, which is what a neurosurgeon has to be. I am diligent, which a neurosurgeon has to be. I can do well under incredible pressure and time constraints, which is certainly what a neurosurgeon has to do. I have good manual dexterity, fine motor skills, and have very good hand-eye coordination, which is especially, absolutely what a neurosurgeon has to utilise to operate. This is all just a list of some of my attributes; not any boasting of any sort, or bragging.
sciencegal said:i want to be a neurosurgeon too!...been wanting to be one since i was 8 years old...u shouldn't do it for the money..u should do it because u want to help people and save lives...even if neurosurgeons didnt make a lot of money, i would still want to do it...lifestyle is very demanding but the sense of accomplishment u get I am sure is worth it! btw englishman...what stage are u in ur journey? high school, university, med, residency?
aerospaceut10 said:It's pretty interesting to me that you have all of the fine skills needed to be a neurosurgeon yet not be able to answer your relatively simple question with searching for it on google.
How old are you and where exactly are you on this path to becoming a neurosurgeon?
Englishman said:Obviously I can find the answer to my question by searching it on google, but I have found so many answers that, I want to see what answer(s) I get here. I'm in high school. My age is classified.
aerospaceut10 said:True, but most of the answers you'll find that will be more worthy/realistic to listen to would be from those surveys or studies conducted by the various labor/medical profession groups as they're representing a collective "norm". Otherwise you'll be forced to deal with people saying their brother's friend's sister's fiance is profession x making 7 gazillion dollars.
I'm sure you'll have potential for high level careers, but don't be so sure that you'll end up as a neurosurgeon. You still have plenty of years before you realize exactly what goes into the process of getting into medical school, what major you would actually prefer, what kinds of things you learn in medical school, what things interest you, what things you're capable of, and all sorts of alternatives. Just keep your career choice open for possible alternatives.
Englishman said:I'm not doing it just for the money; I like science a lot, and I like what neurosurgeons do. (Money is just a side-benefit along with being a neurosurgeon) I really want to be able to feel the satisfaction of helping people. I also like the fact that it is very difficult, because I like being challenged. I'm in high school, and I go to a school that's called South Texas High School for Health Professions (Everyone calls it Med High).
gatorphys said:The average take-home salary of a neurosurgeon is nowhere close to $700,000. Of course, there are some neurosurgeons making this much, but these guys probably have a very establish practice, and have been doing it for quite a long time. A newly trained neurosurgeon will most likely never see this much money. Another factor you have to consider is that reimbursements for medical procedures are constantly getting slashed. Salary's are definitely dropping, at least against inflation, if nothing else (depends on speciality, location, etc...). There's also a huge movement in this country to go to a more governmentally controlled healthcare system, and this will undoubtedly lower your salary as a physician. By the time you actually enter medical school and beyond, the salary outlook for docs will be vastly different. Nevertheless, I think it’s very good that you're actually thinking about this sort of stuff while only in high school. Just make sure to get good grades and get some extracurriculars in there, so you can get into a good undergrad school. There should also be some more informed websites and forums out there that may be able to better answer your questions.
Edit: I just noticed the original post was from 2008, so the OP may not even be around anymore. Oh well, in case anyone else was curious...
T.O.E Dream said:what about a neroscientist (if there is such a thing). What might they get paid.
Okki2 said:450,000 a year!?
thats insane that's more money than i could spend.
i get 250 a month and i still have some left. i don't pay for food or rent though.
Englishman said:Well, actually, some get up to actually 1,000,000. I also saw a while ago that the top salary for a neurosurgeon was/is like 2.4 million, I think. But definitely, definitely at least 2,000,000 a year.
Okki2 said:450,000 a year!?
thats insane that's more money than i could spend.
i get 250 a month and i still have some left. i don't pay for food or rent though.
sciencegal said:yeah but it takes lots of years of experience to get into the millions
Englishman said:Well, actually, it takes a lot of years of experience just to get up to $450,000. The neurosurgeons that have the millions usually have started a practice, or something like that. A neurosurgeon can almost never reach the millions from only a lot of years of experience; he has to also start a practice or start a neurosurgical institute.
Choppy said:So it's like one must develop a highly specialized skill for which there is an extreme demand, recognize the value of the service, and independently establish a business that provides that service.
Man, it's too bad you can't do that with a physics degree.