A Medical Student's Guide to Online Resources in Neurosurgery

Early exposure to neurosurgery during medical school is critical to improving recruitment into the specialty. About 30% of medical schools in the U.S. lack a home program in neurosurgery, thereby, limiting their exposure to the field of neurosurgery. The transition to virtual education was largely facilitated through webinars during the coronavirus disease of 2019 pandemic. Advantages of these resources include their widespread global outreach, with a large number of attendees being international medical students. Although many such resources exist, they are primarily available through social media platforms. To our knowledge, there exists no clear outline of these resources. We identified 16 resources through a database search and through popular social media platforms. Nine out of 16 resources were video based, and 2 utilized the concept of spaced repetition through flashcards. Our review describes these educational resources and aims to serve as a guide for medical students interested in neurosurgery.

Automated summary

Early exposure to neurosurgery during medical school is critical for improving recruitment into the specialty. However, about 30% of medical schools in the U.S. lack a neurosurgery program, limiting students' exposure to the field. Virtual education, facilitated by webinars during the pandemic, has advantages such as global outreach and accessibility for international medical students. This review identifies and describes 16 educational resources, serving as a guide for medical students interested in neurosurgery.