As neurosurgical residents and fellows advance in their training, there is often little discussion about the critical “transition to real world” concepts. With a variety of different specializations and practice options to choose, as residency training nears an end, careful planning can help residents ease the challenges encountered during transition into practice.

Whether you have an interest in pursuing a fellowship or an academic or private practice career, please review the following Neurosurgery Practice Simulator in preparation for making informed decisions. We also encourage you to reach out to your peers and mentors for their thoughts and advice. Although opinions and experiences will undoubtedly vary, we hope this information will help ease your transition beyond residency.

The following chapters have been authored by the editors and contributors of the Council of State Neurosurgical Societies (CSNS). The Neurosurgical Atlas wishes to thank the authors and the CSNS for allowing the content to be published in the Atlas.

Jeremiah Johnson, MD
Justin Singer, MD
Anand Veeravagu, MD

Nitin Agarwal, MD
Fernando Alonso, MD
Catherine Miller, MD
Steven Tenny, MD, MPH, MBA
Brett Youngerman, MD

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18791/nsatlas.v11.ch01