Neurosurgery is one of the youngest of the surgical specialties only dating back to the early 1900s, so there are very few Board-certified neurosurgeons in the US. “In the United States there are about 3,500 practicing Board-certified neurosurgeons and only 99 approved training programs” (Muraszko, 1999). As of 2009 there were 170 training positions open per year but only about 160 residents graduated. Neurosurgeons go to school for 14-16 years after high school; four years in college, four years in medical school, and six to eight years as a resident. I wish I had decided that I wanted to be a neurosurgeon sooner, so that during my high school career I could have taken the proper classes to help me start the educational process of becoming a success. Typically someone who wants to become a doctor/surgeon attends a college of their choice for four years, getting a bachelor’s degree with a major of their choice. Typically someone who wants to go to medical school majors in pre-med, biology, chemistry, etc., but that isn’t a requirement. After they …show more content…
The way Elliott explains how he can’t walk because he can’t see the geometry of what’s in front of him or how even though it’s very difficult for him to live his life he has found a way to still work as a professor. It is so amazing what the brain can do let alone an injured one. In chapter 11, The Human Machine is Broken, Elliott talks about the levels of the cognitive batteries. The cognitive batteries are basically what the concusses brain runs off of. The more he used his brain the less functional he became because those batteries were running out. Now, according to Elliot there are three battery sets to power the brain, set A is the first one available and recharges within a few hours, set B is the first level of backup batteries and can only be accessed if set A is completely out but it takes a bit longer to recharge, up to several days, set C is the deepest level of backup batteries and is a last resort at times of extreme demand when both set A and B are used up. However it isn’t in the concussed best interest to use up set C because it takes two weeks to fully charge. Once the person uses up all three batteries they’re out of luck and can’t do anything except sit in a chair and wait for the batteries to charge. Before I started reading this book I had no idea what it was truly like for someone with a concussion. I assumed it was something like a migraine and the more they used their brain