Ideal nerve unit

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– With all due respect to the fact that there are different points of view on this topic, I believe that there is no field more exciting or faster developing than neuroscience, says Chief Medical Officer Merith Carlberg.

– I am by no means objective, adds LIS-3 doctor Christine, but there is a reason there are so many neuroscience-related cases in medical journals.

Explaining what the two colleagues at Nordlandssykehuset think is exciting about this field cannot be done in a 1-2-3 way, but we let them try anyway.

– First, it has to do with the brain itself. Nervous system diseases affect the whole person, as the brain is the starting point for your identity, behavior and personality.

-You also work with the whole person, not just an eye or a leg. You should combine your medical history and clinical examinations, to see if you have results that confirm your suspicions.

Things that happen

In addition, this field is developing rapidly, almost daily.

– During the 20 years that I have been working in the field of neurology, there has been tremendous development, says Mereth. We have gone from not having a single cure for MS to having many medications to choose from. A lot has also happened in terms of stroke, with thrombolysis and thrombectomy. Imagine that you are actually able to save brain cells. In addition to other parts of the nerves, such as Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, and migraines.

“Discoveries are being made and new treatments are emerging all the time,” Christine continues. We have weekly meetings with the pharmaceutical industry offering new treatment methods. You don't get bored when you work in neurology.

Perfect size

With 10 senior doctors and a similar number of doctors in the specialty, the Neurology Unit at Nordlandssykehuset has an almost ideal size.

“All of us work in the entire field of neurology,” says Christine. “We do not become distinct specialists who work exclusively with stroke or Parkinson’s disease.” This means you can see the entire field – everything you need to become a neurologist.

– We also work closely with neurosurgery as well as oncology, internal medicine, psychiatry and surgery, continues Merith. This is the advantage of being of this size, rather than a larger hospital where the specialty area is largely divided into other departments. Therefore, we are by no means small, there are 240,000 patients visiting Nordlandssykehuset.

– Christine adds that exposure to such a wide range of field is very helpful, but I would also say it is essential since you have to be of service. In this case, having knowledge of more than one narrow area of ​​expertise is clearly an advantage.

A good place to specialize

Nordlandssykehuset is a good place to start as a LIS doctor, not only because of its ideal size.

“There is a very stable staff of senior doctors here,” says Christine, “and you get a supervisor early on in a specialty that I have been actively using.” In addition to the admin, all moderators are easily accessible and contribute when you ask.

– If you are in the outpatient clinic and you cannot wait for an answer from your supervisor, Christine continues, you should contact the nearest senior doctor. That's why we've created a culture of everyone helping each other.

Nordlandssykehuset is a Group 1 hospital, which means that as a LIS-1 doctor you can receive the entire specialist training at the hospital, except for six months in neurosurgery.

– We also emphasize research, continues Merith, and I think we have 5 senior doctors with PhDs and a sixth is on the way. We also contribute to a number of national research projects, including in the areas of Parkinson's disease, migraine, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and multiple sclerosis. To be honest, I don't have a complete overview of everything we're involved in, there's a lot.

“We are also encouraged to go to training courses and conferences, and Bodø is a great starting point due to its proximity to the airport,” adds Christine. So, yes, if you want to learn, this is a good place for you.

Best arguments for choosing neuroscience

In summary, Merith and Christine have chosen to highlight the following good reasons to choose Neurology at Bodø.

– The field is No. 1, says Merith. It is very diverse, exciting and evolving, the likes of which you hardly see in medicine.

– Then there's the size, adds Christine. Thanks to this, we gained an insight into the entire field, and the workload became just right.

– Finally, I have to say that the colleagues here, they are incredibly helpful and very nice – a nice and kind group, concludes Christine.