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Indiana University School of Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine
Medical Student Portal

Neurosurgery Specialty at a Glance

Students interested in a career in neurosurgery should meet with a neurosurgery career mentor very early in their medical school years. Research is very important to neurosurgery and the medical student applicant needs to have published research preferably in the neuroscience field. The honors rotation in neurosurgery is recommended for students who meet USMLE requirements but did not fulfill research component. This consists of one month of clinical neurosurgery at IU Health Methodist Hospital and two months in a neurosurgery lab.


Match Statistics

Step 2 CK median score: 253
25th percentile USMLE Step 2 CK: 245.0
75th percentile USMLE Step 2 CK: 261.0
Median programs applied to: 75
Median research experiences: 5
Median abstracts, presentations or publications: 20

Students pursuing a career in neurosurgery do so with an interest in the neurological system and a desire to operate. An individual will develop skills in areas of spine surgery, brain tumor surgery, vascular and endovascular surgery, and functional neurosurgery while treating infants through those at the end of their life.

Early identification of a mentor and engagement in research are helpful but not required.

  • Critical care

  • Neuroradiology

For this specialty, two or three away rotations are recommended depending on the year and circumstances.

Research tends to be reviewed critically in neurosurgery. While the number of publications helps to draw attention, the position of the author, journal published in and the applicant's knowledge of the material they did research on is key.

Residency training for this specialty is seven years.

Letters of recommendation in neurosurgery have become standardized and come from programs, not individuals. It is important to meet with the chair and the program director both at IU and at your selected away rotations.

The Neurosurgical Atlas

Department of Neurological Surgery

Students are connected to a mentor whom that meet with for discussions about how to navigate away rotation and the residency match process.