Can anyone give their (serious) insight into the average work hours for these different specialists? I’m just about ready to throw in the towel and declare nsy, but I’m still a little hazy on what typically happens after training is finished.
Looking for average hrs/week for:
1 - neurosurgeon attending at level 1 trauma academic instit.
2 - nsgn attending at academic center that’s not level 1 trauma cntr
2 - nsgn in group private practice that does brain or spine (what’s a good group size?)
3 - nsgn in pp that predominantly does spine
Are there others I’m missing here?

expect the senior attendings to beat the shit out of you for about five years of junior attendinghood, and then lesser degrees of misery after that. junior attendinghood is worse than junior residency

Since attending hours are not tracked, I don’t think anyone has a great handle on what the average hours are.  In my experience people tend to exaggerate their hours.  I think it is perfectly feasible to work anwhere between 40-110 hours per week as an attending.  In general, the surgeons who work longer hours are going to make more money.  Most of us in this specialty don’t mind working hard and work 60-90 hours per week, not because we must, but because we want to.

If the average number of hours per week is really important to you, I would strongly encourage you to consider another specialty.  Life is too short to set yourself up for unhappiness.  One of the real turning points in my own decision to enter the field was when I realized that I would much rather work a 30 hour shift on the neurosurgery service than an 8 hour shift in the Emergency Room, or anywhere else.

One of the real turning points in my own decision to enter the field was when I realized that I would much rather work a 30 hour shift on the neurosurgery service than an 8 hour shift in the Emergency Room, or anywhere else.

I can agree with this statement 100%, and it’s not that I"m afraid to work hard, I’m just wondering if it’s possible to have a life outside of work while going to a job every day that you love. I tried to enjoy other specialties, but if I’m an ENT, at the end of the day, salivary glands and thyroids kinda suck, and the disfiguring hemiglossectomies really aren’t that satisfying. Neither are ear tubes. Unlike most of the people on here who are first a surgeon and secondly into neuro, I’m probably the other way around. That said, no, neurology is not an option because I do really like surgery.
And I like (most of) the people. As far as personalities go, this seems to be the right choice.
Any input would be helpful....

1 - neurosurgeon attending at level 1 trauma academic instit.
2 - nsgn attending at academic center that’s not level 1 trauma cntr
3 - nsgn in group private practice that does brain or spine (what’s a good group size?)
4 - nsgn in pp that predominantly does spine

In terms of hours worked, it really depends on how many people you have in your call schedule, as the more people in your group, the less the pain becomes on during the week or weekend.

Academic institutions have the benefit of your residents working for you.  The level 1 Trauma center, at our hospital for example, probably adds another 5-10 cases at night per week, depending on the time of year.

I’d say our average attending is in the range of 60-70 hours a week, when the call is factored in.

Of the private practices I know - one of the more cushy ones spreads call weekly, so the week you are on call is painful (and probably exceeds 80 hours in the week).  The week you aren’t on call, you operate on 2 or 3 days, have clinic 1 or 2 days, and have at least a free half day a week for other things, meaning potentially 40-50 hours in those weeks.