Thread by @AaronLBerkowitz

Yes, @Tracey1milligan! How do I #LoveNeurology let me count the ways! 🧠❤️
A 🧵
Below is from a presentation where we each gave a pitch to students why our specialty was the best. All due respect to admired colleagues in other specialties, roasting/humor was encouraged😀

So when trying to choose a specialty, your advisor may ask you what’s your favorite organ?

You’ve heard the arguments:
- the skin is the largest organ in the body
- the heart moves and makes cool sounds
- the kidney has such fascinating biochemistry (if you're into that)

We have THE BRAIN. It makes us human, it's the stuff of philosophy, the only organ that can use itself to learn about itself, the organ that controls everything!

All those other organs are cool and stuff but ..um...sorry, they can be transplanted or replaced by machines....

Now some people say that's really limited to spend your whole life on just the brain, but we also take care of patients with diseases of the spine, the nerves, the muscles, each w/countless conditions that would take a life time to learn and have great impact to treat or study.

It still might seem specialized, but there is a neurology of everything! Entire books on neurology of pregnancy, of cancer, of critical illness. We still think about other organs and see patients of all ages in the clinic, emergency room, ward, and ICU.

Neurology is everywhere!

Your advisor might say will if you’re not sure pick what will give you flexibility later. We have it all!
If you like high adrenaline medicine choose neurocritical care or stroke. If you prefer clinic or lab choose cognitive neurology…and so much in between!

Is neurology too depressing? We often hear this one.

First, it’s depressing when people get sick–that’s not unique to neurology!

Second, not all care is meds/surgery. We can provide so much to patients and their families with a diagnosis and support.

And third...

During–and since–my residency I’ve seen not just countless new treatments emerge for stroke, epilepsy, MS, Parkinson, migraine…but entirely new DISEASES! Tell me another field that has not just had an explosion of new treatments but new DIAGNOSES!? #lifelonglearning #futureisnow

An advisor once told me this...Choose the field in which the chief concerns sound the most interesting...

Sorry, other specialities but...

...how's this for a chief concern? A man who mistook his wife for a hat!?

all due respect for shortness of breath, rash, and knee pain, but, um, did anyone write a best-selling book about those?

You think @OliverSacks looks like just a neuro nerd? My friends, reads his autobiography: he was a motorcyclist and could bench press 300 lbs.

Neurologists rock!

Neurology is not just the stuff of literature but also of movies:

Sorry if I missed it, but I don't think I've seen any award winning movies on GI bleeding, nephrotic syndrome, or pemphigus?

And if you're thinking, it’s not the organ or the chief concern or whatever, I'll go where I'm most needed, well look at this...

Rising burden of disease, huge neurologist shortage in the US and globally.

We need you!!! In neurology you can have an enormous impact in your local community and throughout the world!

OK, you're almost convinced but...wait neurology seemed so complicated in the 1st/2nd year of med school...

Maybe you have neurophobia?

It's not so complicated! I got you, check out these tweetorials for all of your neuroanatomy studying needs:
twitter.com/i/events/12671…

#EndNeurophobia

I dropped out of med school for 6 years, almost quit internship & never thought I'd find a specialty I'd like, let alone love. I'm 8 years out of residency and I LOVE neurology–our patients are inspiring, neurology is fascinating, and I learn something new every single day!

Come join me and my amazing and inspiring mentors and colleagues @Tracey1milligan @prasad_sashank @nsanar @SchmahmannLab @AANMember @EricaSchuyler @LyellJ @MariaMjaleman @gabifpucci @valeroldan23 @harvardneuromds @neuropalldoc @rabihmgeha @DxRxEdu @CPSolvers
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