A Day In The Life Of A Neurosurgery Resident At Vanderbilt University Medical Center
A day for a neurosurgery resident at Vanderbilt University Medical Center involves a mix of early morning patient rounds and extensive operating room time, with the balance shifting as experience grows. Early on, the focus is mastering surgical fundamentals like "how do we drip a patient? How do we position a patient?", while senior residents handle more complex procedures; strong communication with other medical teams is also a crucial aspect of the job.
Surgery, Medical Communication, Teamwork, Patient Care, Neuroscience
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Kwadwo (Kojo) Sarpong
Resident Physician - Neurosurgery
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Emory University
Georgetown University School of Medicine, M.D.
Biology & Related Sciences
Healthcare, Medical & Wellness, Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking
Medical
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Immigrant, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Transfer Student, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Neurosurgery residents' daily activities vary depending on their experience level.
2. Residents start early, seeing patients and updating faculty. A significant portion of their day is spent in the operating room (OR), performing or assisting with surgeries, ranging from spine to cranial procedures.
3. Strong communication skills are essential, as neurosurgeons collaborate with various medical specialties and hospital staff to coordinate patient care.
Transcript
What does a day in the life of a neurosurgery resident look like?
A day in the life depends on your year and level. I've completed my intern year, second year, and am now transitioning into my third year.
As a first-year resident, your mornings start very early. You'll prepare patient lists for other teams who will then see their patients. Essentially, a day involves seeing patients, waking them around 5:00 AM, and updating faculty members on overnight developments.
The majority of your time is spent in the operating room. Depending on your service, you might be doing spine surgery or cranial surgery, such as for tumors or cerebrovascular issues. This could involve clipping aneurysms or performing AVM procedures.
While senior residents handle more complex procedures like aneurysms or AVMs, junior residents focus on mastering surgical basics. This includes learning how to prep a patient, position them, and manage case initiation and closure. These foundational skills are crucial early on.
As you advance to senior resident levels, you'll focus on independence in the OR and performing the surgeries yourself. So, a typical day is spent in the OR, seeing patients, and communicating with other teams.
You also interact with many other specialties, as patients are cared for by multiple teams. This includes internal medicine and ENT surgeons, requiring coordination and communication. There's a lot of back-and-forth communication between the ED, your team, and hospital staff, including nurses. Communication is a critical component of neurosurgery.
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Instagram: @i_am_nanakojo
LinkedIn: Kwadwo Sarpong