system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Does an MD/PhD with a neurosurgery specialization correspond to the longest possible average higher education training time?

I am not interested in going that route. My respect to the people who have the wherewithal to do so. I just got curious and was scoping through CVs of MD PhD neurosurgeons, and it generally seemed like the training tended to last between 16 - 18 years after undergrad, 8 years for the MD/PhD, 7 years for the neurosurgery residency, then another 1 - 3 years of fellowship. This has to be the longest average single academic training "program" right? Someone coming out of undergrad at 22 going this route will be near or into their 40s before they are done with formal training \*if\* they are fortunate enough to avoid major delays. I've also seen CVs of people who did a non-integrated PhD following an MD or vice versa to make things even longer. For sure, this seems like a road that is closed off for anyone who has even a moderately older start in their postgraduate schooling due to the sheer time threshold.
gpt
Many neurosurgeons also do 1-2 years of sub-specialty fellowship training after residency. Also it’s not that uncommon to take 9 years to complete the MD/PhD curriculum (the graduate school phase is typically 4 years but many need 5).

Sincerely, an eighth year MD/PhD student currently interviewing for neurosurgery residency hoping to have his first real job at age 38-40 depending on fellowship plans.