| A general surgeon job has prerequisites that must | | | | The job also includes health insurance, vacation |
| be met including knowledge in a host of general | | | | time and some hiring facilities will also help a newly |
| surgical procedures along with past experience | | | | trained general surgeon pay off outstanding |
| and training. To accept a general surgeon job a | | | | student loans. |
| physician must graduate from medical school then | | | | Many general surgeons become part of an |
| go on to a five to six year residency training | | | | organization known as The American Society of |
| program. After training, the physician is eligible to | | | | General Surgeons (ASGS), which represents |
| take board certification exams given by the | | | | general surgeons and informs them about issue |
| American Board of Surgery, which leads to | | | | regarding policies, and new technologies. This |
| privileges to operate in most hospitals and other | | | | organization holds annual meetings where general |
| surgical arenas. It is at this point that some | | | | surgeons can attend sessions that keep them |
| general surgeons elect to train further to other | | | | abreast of what is politically happening to and for |
| sub-specialties of surgery including neurosurgery, | | | | a general surgeon, as well as the latest |
| cardiovascular surgery, trauma surgery and other | | | | information and instructions on the use of |
| specialized fields. | | | | state-of-the-art new techniques and |
| To treat certain surgical procedures, a general | | | | accompanying procedures. |
| surgeon's job may require the knowledge of | | | | To emphasize the need of general surgery jobs, |
| certain techniques like laparoscopics, which is a | | | | a recent study that used collected data from the |
| minimally invasive method making a smaller incision | | | | US Census Bureau and The American Board of |
| site and using cameras and smaller surgical | | | | Surgery, indicated unless more physicians train for |
| instruments to repair or remove a problem. A | | | | and accept general surgery positions, patients |
| more recent application called robotic surgery has | | | | needing a procedure will have to wait longer, |
| a surgeon operating by using cameras and | | | | whether it's for an emergency or elective reason. |
| controls with instruments attached to perform | | | | This could cause problems because any |
| procedures on the bladder, colon, prostate, | | | | emergency needs immediate attention, and if an |
| ovaries, appendicies and heart. More and more | | | | elective surgery is put off for too long, the |
| procedures using robotic surgery are being | | | | condition could be aggravated and worsen. The |
| evaluated as ways to cause less trauma to a | | | | study also estimated that approximately 21,500 |
| patient undergoing a number of operations. | | | | physicians currently practice general surgery in the |
| The need for a physician to fill a general surgeon | | | | US, and the average time served is 30 years, |
| job is obvious in almost every medical facility that | | | | with roughly 700 surgeons leaving the field each |
| has operating capabilities. These positions are open | | | | year. Also an estimated 1000 surgeons enter the |
| in large university hospitals and clinics as well as | | | | field every year; however of that 1000, 850 elect |
| rural, local community hospitals and clinics. The | | | | a specialized field of surgery as their choice of |
| greatest need seems to be in facilities that require | | | | practice, resulting in an estimate of 145 entering |
| an overall generalist covering a myriad of | | | | general surgery positions yearly. With these |
| emergency surgical procedures. | | | | staggering numbers the need for general surgical |
| The average salary for a general surgeon job is | | | | practitioners is quite obvious. |
| $250,000 and above according to recent surveys. | | | | |