What does a cardiac surgeon do?
Cardiac surgeon responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real cardiac surgeon resumes:
- Coordinate with patients and medical staff at civilian and military treatment facilities to schedule medical appointments and retrieve medical documentation.
- Handle confidential and sensitive information with accuracy and according to HIPAA policies.
Cardiac surgeon skills and personality traits
We break down the percentage of Cardiac Surgeons that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Cardiovascular Surgery, 77%
Led a team of 3 cardiac surgeons and residents in cardiovascular surgery.
- Heart Procedures, 23%
Performed intra-operative assistance in closed and open heart procedures like coronary bypass surgery, valvotomy and valve replacement surgeries.
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a cardiac surgeon to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "physicians and surgeons need to be excellent communicators." Cardiac surgeons often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "assessed communications to identify opportunities for improvement was a problem healthcare. "
Detail oriented. Many cardiac surgeon duties rely on detail oriented. "patients must receive appropriate treatment and medications," so a cardiac surgeon will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways cardiac surgeon responsibilities rely on detail oriented: "obtain detailed historical data from patients and perform focused physical examinations. "
Physical stamina. This is an important skill for cardiac surgeons to perform their duties. For an example of how cardiac surgeon responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "physicians and surgeons should be comfortable lifting or turning disabled patients, or performing other physical tasks." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a cardiac surgeon: "provided comprehensive physical assessments including routine and disease related colorectal cancer screenings. ".
Problem-solving skills. A big part of what cardiac surgeons do relies on "problem-solving skills." You can see how essential it is to cardiac surgeon responsibilities because "physicians and surgeons need to evaluate patients’ symptoms and administer the appropriate treatments." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical cardiac surgeon tasks: "solved many problems with patients accounts if any. "
The three companies that hire the most cardiac surgeons are:
- The Medicus Firm
43 cardiac surgeons jobs
- Cleveland Clinic5 cardiac surgeons jobs
- HealthTrust5 cardiac surgeons jobs
Compare different cardiac surgeons
Cardiac surgeon vs. Eye physician
A Neurosurgeon is responsible for diagnosing conditions related to the nervous system, determining treatment plans, and administering medications. Neurosurgeons perform surgeries and conduct further laboratory tests to track their progress and adjust treatment plans as needed. They also discuss the medical procedures and processes with the patients and advise them about the treatments. A Neurosurgeon must have excellent communication and organizational skills, pervasive knowledge of the medical expertise to help patients with accurate recovery plans and development.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between cardiac surgeons and eye physician. For instance, cardiac surgeon responsibilities require skills such as "icu," "cardiovascular surgery," "cardio-thoracic," and "ecmo." Whereas a eye physician is skilled in "exam rooms," "eye drops," "patient appointments," and "patient charts." This is part of what separates the two careers.
On average, eye physicians reach higher levels of education than cardiac surgeons. Eye physicians are 10.5% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 24.7% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Cardiac surgeon vs. Surgeon's assistant
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, cardiac surgeon responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "icu," "cardiovascular surgery," "cardio-thoracic," and "ecmo." Meanwhile, a surgeon's assistant has duties that require skills in areas such as "patients," "ortho," "emr," and "epic." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
In general, surgeon's assistants achieve higher levels of education than cardiac surgeons. They're 6.4% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 24.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Cardiac surgeon vs. Foot and ankle surgeon
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, cardiac surgeons are more likely to have skills like "icu," "cardiovascular surgery," "cardio-thoracic," and "ecmo." But a foot and ankle surgeon is more likely to have skills like "private practice," "cme," "patient care," and "emr."
Foot and ankle surgeons typically earn higher educational levels compared to cardiac surgeons. Specifically, they're 5.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Cardiac surgeon vs. Neurosurgeon
Types of cardiac surgeon
Updated January 8, 2025
