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Surgeon Education Requirements and Career Information
Surgeons are medical doctors who perform operations as their primary method of treatment. Within this field, one can specialize even further as orthopedic, neurological, cardiovascular or plastic surgery, among other areas. Since surgeons practice a specialized form of medicine, the education and training criteria are rigorous, often taking up to sixteen years to complete.
Surgery generally requires the most intensive preparation of all medical specialties. Before surgeons are qualified to operate, they must meet a set of challenging education requirements. These generally include four years of undergraduate study, four years of medical school leading to a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree and 3-8 years of surgical residency at a hospital.
Surgeons typically start out by enrolling in a university or college with a strong pre-medical program and by choosing a major related to medicine, such as biology, physics or chemistry. After earning a bachelor’s degree, they must pass the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) in order to apply to medical school.
During medical school, students must gain an even greater mastery of subjects taken at the undergraduate level. These include anatomy, microbiology, biochemistry, physiology, pathology, psychology, ethics and medical law, among others. Programs also require students to go through rotations, where they learn the basics of patient care across a variety of specialties.
Upon graduating from medical school, aspiring surgeons must earn an M.D. and become licensed before they can begin their residency. Residencies function as salaried training and allow students to begin specializing. Those interested in surgery work under the supervision of other experienced surgeons.
Many surgeons choose to be general surgeons, while others focus on specific parts of the body, such as the brain and the heart. Salaries vary according to specialty and years of experience; however, Salary.com reports that the median annual salary for surgeons ranged from $240,533 to $361,589 in 2008.
Although operating is a large part of the job, surgeons also provide consultations and perform before- and after- check-ups. They generally work with a team of medical professionals that includes anesthesiologists, nurses and other doctors. A surgeon’s hours are generally long, including time spent operating and on-call. Because the nature of the work can be so consuming, many hospitals limit the work week to 80 hours with one day off.
Surgeon Education Requirements and Career Information
