Neurosurgery Training in Greece

World Neurosurg. 2024 Jan 18:S1878-8750(24)00076-7. doi: 10.1016/j.wneu.2024.01.064. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

Objective: The structure and specifics of neurosurgery residency training vary substantially across programs and countries, potentially leading to differences in clinical reasoning, surgical skills, and professionalism. The Greek neurosurgical training system is unique in numerous respects. This manuscript delineates the current state of neurosurgical residency training in Greece and outlines future directions.

Methods: A narrative review was conducted to describe the Greek neurosurgical residency training structure. The perspectives of the authors regarding challenges in training and future directions were synthesized.

Results: This manuscript describes the neurosurgery residency curriculum and board certification process, existing training programs, and key challenges in neurosurgery residency training in Greece. The authors propose future directions to reform neurosurgical training in Greece.

Conclusions: Neurosurgery residency training in Greece has been largely unchanged for many years. This review leads to suggested modification of the existing training process may improve the quality of training and equip neurosurgeons to respond to the rapidly changing landscape of the field.