Personal Financial Tips

Article by Lisa Simmons

How does one become a general surgeon? The foremost step is to apply and be accepted into a medical school. On successful completion of medical school, a general surgery candidate needs acceptance into a residency program – a five year hands-on training program to prepare for a general surgery job.

After completing residency, she needs to choose to stay in general surgery or opt for one of the subspecialties such as: pediatric, hand or plastic surgery. If a sub specialty is chosen, the future general surgeon must complete another two year residency in the specific field of study. At this junction, he is eligible for board certification by the American Board of Surgery; certification is required to acquire hospital privileges.

Anyone pursuing careers in general surgery should possess good people skills and be adept at oral and written communication. Manual dexterity is necessary as is the aptitude to stay calm under pressure and make split-second decisions.

To succeed in a general surgery job, he must work well on a team but be ready to take control as a leader. People in general surgery jobs do many of the identical duties of any physician or health care professional such as taking histories and examining patients. Operations and follow-up care of patients post operation are required; hospital rounds, on call situations, and responses to emergency situations will be the norm.

Handling paperwork and other administrative duties such as hiring, interviewing, and firing employees, or paying bills and taxes are part of the day’s work. Balancing patient care with business management, meetings, and training is common. Daily diagnosis and treatment by preventive, corrective or surgical repair are common tasks.

General surgery jobs also entail sub specialties such as:

Breast surgery – treating breast cancer

Trauma – emergency surgery for conditions like gall bladder, appendix, or small bowel obstructions

Laparoscopic – hernia repair or bariatric surgery

Colorectal – correcting problems like hemorrhoids, colon cancer, polyps, or inflammatory bowel disease

Endocrine – thyroidectomy, and diseases of the adrenal glands

Dermatological – removal of moles and tumors, treatment of burns and infections

Orthopedic – musculoskeletal

Neurological – brains and nerves

Cardiovascular – heart and chest

Otolaryngology – head, ear, nose or throat

Plastic and reconstructive surgery

The lack of general surgeons combined with increased openings is creating a demand for experts, specifically in fields like orthopedic, neurological, or cardiovascular surgeries. There are profitable job opportunities, particularly in agrarian and economically challenged communities. The maturing population creates a need for more general surgery professionals while it also presents a greater demand for qualified general surgeons to replace retiring surgeons.

There are downsides to consider before choosing a general surgery job. Medical school is expensive, time consuming, and requires completing residency and obtaining licensure and certification. General surgery jobs require extensive hours, haphazard schedules, and numerous stints in hospital surgery rooms standing or bending. She will be on call caring for patients, fielding phone calls, and handling stresses of back-to-back surgeries and ongoing patient care and counseling.

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