A Young Girl’s Dream

Vivian | future neurosurgeon

In life, many people ask kids: what do you want to be when you grow up? They expect to hear something common, the usual responses are: "a fire fighter, police officer, vet, barber, etc," but imagine the look on their face when I reply "Neurosurgeon". I have always wanted to be a doctor of some sort. I find The Human Body fascinating, but what I found the most interesting in particular was the brain. We are the only species on the earth that is able to use our mind to build and create; this makes humans the most advanced species on the face of the Earth.

You must first complete the basic requirements of becoming a physician to become a Neurosurgeon, such as a bachelor's degree, preferably in pre-med or other related biological, physical or chemical science, plus four years of graduate school in a medical school to get an M.D. or D.O. degree. After completing medical school and successfully obtaining a medical degree, med school graduates must then go into a neurosurgery residency training program, the average length is seven years.

If I become a Neuro Surgeon I would have the opportunity to operate on patients who are victims of trauma to the head, in addition to treating patients with cancerous brain tumors that need to be surgically removed. It would give me the opportunity to save lives, and I will also be introduced with the most advanced, complex technology as well.

I heard of this career while watching a program at home called, "Monsters inside me," a very interesting show about parasites that can attack you from the inside. In this episode, a man had a parasite growing in his brain, and it was attacking his central nervous system! You can imagine my interest when they explained how The Human Body reacted to this parasite! Not only did the Neurosurgeon explain the effects the parasite would take if not surgically removed, he also explained his job and how he would perform the surgery. I have become almost obbsessed on learning new facts on the brain and all its roles, parts, and functions!