title: The Employed Neurosurgeon: Essential Lessons.
abstract: Neurosurgeons are highly specialized surgeons whose pride is mastery of the complexity of form and function that is the nervous system and then knowing when and how these require surgical intervention. Following years of arduous postgraduate education, neurosurgeons enter the world of practice that is not only daunting in its intricacies of regulations, mandates, and unknown business practices, but also changing at a meteoric pace. Overwhelmingly, graduating residents and fellows are choosing to practice as employed physicians, a trend that is new in its magnitude and also changed because of the rapid evolution of large health systems. Case studies of challenges other employed surgical specialists have faced can provide critical and important education for any neurosurgeon in this arena. As with the lessons of all case studies, the teachings are remarkably universal, but how those lessons apply to an individual's specific situation will require personalized adaptation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Columbia University, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Deborah L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Benzil
authors.affiliation: Neuro-usurgery, NorthBay Center for Neuro-science, Fairfield, California.
authors.forename: Edie E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Zusman
mesh_terms: D002321:Career Choice; D004651:Employment; D006123:Group Practice / Q000458:organization & administration*; D018578:Hospital-Physician Relations; D006801:Humans; D009493:Neurosurgery
keywords: Employment; Healthcare; Hospital–physician relations; Negotiations; Neurosurgery