| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Clinical and Medical |
| Level | Mid level |
| Reports to | Chief of Surgery |
| Direct reports | Senior Resident Doctor, Junior Resident Doctor |
| Experience | 3 to 8 years after MCh, with independent trauma and elective neurosurgery |
Neurosurgeon job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: Neurosurgeon
Department: Clinical and Medical
Reports to: Chief of Surgery
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A Neurosurgeon operates on the brain, spine and peripheral nerves. Common cases in Indian hospitals are head injuries from road accidents, brain bleeds, brain and spinal tumours, disc prolapse, spinal fractures and hydrocephalus in children. The neurosurgeon also manages neuro ICU patients after surgery and takes emergency trauma calls. A good neurosurgeon decides quickly on emergency surgery, operates with low complication rates and gives families a realistic picture of recovery.
Key responsibilities
- Assess head injury patients in emergency using GCS, pupils and CT findings, and decide between surgery and observation.
- Perform emergency craniotomy for extradural and subdural bleeds, and decompression when brain swelling threatens life.
- Operate on brain tumours, aneurysms and other vascular lesions using the microscope and navigation where available.
- Perform spine operations for disc prolapse, canal stenosis, fractures and tumours, including fixation with implants.
- Treat hydrocephalus with shunts or endoscopic procedures, especially in infants and children.
- Manage neuro ICU patients after surgery with the intensivist, including pressure monitoring, sedation and seizure prevention.
- Discuss the operation, expected recovery, risk of disability and costs with families in simple words, and document consent.
- Review scans with the radiologist and plan each case with the anaesthetist, including blood arrangement and implants.
- Follow patients in OPD for wound checks, tumour pathology, radiotherapy referral and rehabilitation.
- Join trauma audits and neurosurgical mortality reviews, and teach residents in the OT and wards.
Requirements
- MCh or DrNB in Neurosurgery after MS General Surgery, or a six-year integrated MCh
- Valid registration with the National Medical Commission or a State Medical Council
- Fellowship in spine, skull base or endoscopic neurosurgery is an advantage
- 3 to 8 years after MCh, with independent trauma and elective neurosurgery
KRAs and KPIs for a Neurosurgeon
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Emergency decision time | Decision on surgery within 60 minutes of CT for 90 percent of head injury cases |
| Surgical infection | Infection after cranial and spinal surgery below 2 percent each quarter |
| Return to OT | Unplanned return to OT within 7 days below 3 percent of neurosurgical cases |
| Outcome recording | Functional outcome recorded at discharge and at 3 months for 100 percent of operated patients |
| Consent quality | Risk of disability and death documented in the consent for every elective case |
| Surgical volume | Elective neurosurgical cases at or above the monthly department plan |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: Operating microscope, Neuronavigation system, High-speed drill, C-arm, Intracranial pressure monitor, Neuro endoscope, Ultrasonic aspirator.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Head of Department (Clinical), Chief of Surgery
Interview questions for a Neurosurgeon
- A young motorcyclist arrives with GCS 8 and a small subdural bleed. Would you operate, and on what grounds?
- How do you choose between surgery and conservative care for a lumbar disc prolapse?
- Walk me through your plan for a large frontal tumour in a 50-year-old teacher.
- A patient wakes up with new weakness after spine surgery. What do you do?
- How do you counsel a family when the chance of meaningful recovery is low?
- How do you keep infection rates low in shunt surgery?
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What does a neurosurgeon do?
A neurosurgeon operates on the brain, spinal cord, spine and nerves. They treat head injuries, brain bleeds, brain and spinal tumours, disc prolapse, spinal fractures and hydrocephalus, manage patients in the neuro ICU after surgery and follow them through recovery and rehabilitation.
Is a neurosurgeon the same as a spine surgeon?
Not always. Neurosurgeons are trained in both brain and spine surgery. Orthopaedic surgeons with spine fellowships also perform spine operations, particularly for deformities and fractures. Many hospitals have both, and complex spinal cord tumours usually go to neurosurgeons.
How long does it take to become a neurosurgeon in India?
The usual route is MBBS with internship, three years of MS in General Surgery, then three years of MCh or DrNB in Neurosurgery. A few institutes run a six-year integrated MCh course straight after MBBS. Independent practice usually follows a few years as a junior consultant.