Neurosurgery Abroad: Venezuela, Paraguay, Bolivia
One scheme names Paraguay and Bolivia and leaves Venezuela out; no official page we found names Venezuela at all. This guide separates what is restricted by country from what is open to Latin American members or to anyone, and says where the pages are silent. Everything below was read on the official pages on 20 October 2026; confirm each call before you plan around it.
Restricted by country: the CNS Tumor Section observership
The CNS Foundation and Tumor Section international observership programme states that it is currently limited to individuals residing in Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay and Argentina. Applicants must be in the final year of residency, head of residents, or within two years of finishing, and need a recommendation from the residency director, a CV and a description of a CNS-tumour project to carry out after returning home. Residents of Venezuela, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and other countries are not listed.
- Residence in Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay or Argentina
- Final year, head of residents, or within two years of residency
- Letter of recommendation from the residency director
- CV and project description
Latin American spine members: AO Spine Latin America
AO Spine Latin America runs an International Exchange track that it describes as designed exclusively for Latin American members, with observation of minimally invasive, trauma, deformity and tumour spine surgery. It is a membership-based programme, so check the current requirements on the AO Spine Latin America page.
Open to any nationality: AO Spine short-term fellowship
The AO Spine short-term international fellowship applies no nationality or country-of-residence restriction. The page states that the 2027 call has closed and that the 2028 call is expected to open in April 2027.
Spain: a FLANC reference centre
Bellvitge University Hospital's neurosurgery service in Barcelona was accredited by the executive committee of the Latin American Federation of Neurosurgery (FLANC) as a Reference Centre for training neurosurgeons from FLANC member societies. We found no application route or list of countries in the announcement, so ask the service directly.
Closed for now: the WFNS Foundation fellowship
The WFNS page states that applications for its Short-Term Fellowship Programme are temporarily closed. It is aimed particularly at young neurosurgeons from developing countries and does not define the term, so it does not establish whether Venezuela qualifies.
What the official pages do not say
No official page we read names Venezuela. We found no regulator statement on recognising Venezuelan degrees or training abroad, and the websites of the Venezuelan neurosurgical society and FLANC could not be read. The same silence applies to Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and the rest of Central America. Put eligibility questions to each host in writing, and keep the reply.