Surgeons
Overview
Introduction
Surgeons are physicians who make diagnoses and provide preoperative, operative, and postoperative care in surgery affecting almost any part of the body. These doctors also work with trauma victims and the critically ill. Approximately 36,270 surgeons are employed in the United States.
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, surgeons earned mean annual salaries of $208,000 in May 2019. Even the lowest paid 10 percent of surgeons earned incomes of $83,740. According to Salary.com, surgeons earned median annual salaries of $396,073 in August 2020. Salaries ranged from less than $334,950 to $470,085 or more.
Incomes may vary from specialty to specialty. Other factors i...
Work Environment
Surgeons work in sterile operating rooms that are well equipped, well lighted, and well ventilated. They meet patients and conduct all regular business in clean, brightly lit offices. There are usually nurses, laboratory technicians, medical assistants, administrative assistants, bookkeepers, and receptionists available to assist surgeons.
Surgeons usually see patients by appointments th...
Outlook
The wide-ranging skills and knowledge of the surgeon will always be in demand, whether or not the surgeon has a subspecialty. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, employment for physician and surgeons is expected to grow by 4 percent, about as fast as the average for all occupations, through 2029. The coronavirus pandemic has had a major impact on the surgical field, adding ...