2020 Volume 29 Issue 11 Pages 768-776
What does “research” mean to clinical neurosurgeons? To address this question, the career path of a highly motivated basic researcher is described in this article. This researcher was not in the least interested in (basic) research and instead chose to become a clinical neurosurgeon after graduating from medical school. Being a basic researcher was indeed the last profession he ever wanted to be while he was a medical student. By looking into what drove the young neurosurgeon towards research, we can learn that, by nature, research is inherent in clinical practice. If a neurosurgeon says that he is not interested in research, he is as good as confessing that neurosurgery means little to him. For some neurosurgeons, research could also be a viable means of self-fulfillment, by allowing them to express themselves in an original manner just like artists.
