Cardiovascular surgeon vs general surgeon

The differences between cardiovascular surgeons and general surgeons can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a cardiovascular surgeon and a general surgeon. Additionally, a cardiovascular surgeon has an average salary of $411,744, which is higher than the $223,321 average annual salary of a general surgeon.

The top three skills for a cardiovascular surgeon include cardiovascular surgery, patient care and CPT. The most important skills for a general surgeon are patients, EMR, and medical education.

Cardiovascular surgeon vs general surgeon overview

	Cardiovascular Surgeon	General Surgeon
Yearly salary	$411,744	$223,321
Hourly rate	$197.95	$107.37
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	4,965	45,174
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 30%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	6	6

Cardiovascular surgeon vs general surgeon salary

Cardiovascular surgeons and general surgeons have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cardiovascular Surgeon	General Surgeon
Average salary	$411,744	$223,321
Salary range	Between $207,000 And $818,000	Between $121,000 And $411,000
Highest paying City	Helena, MT	Watertown, NY
Highest paying state	Minnesota	Connecticut
Best paying company	Adventist HealthCare	Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between cardiovascular surgeon and general surgeon education

There are a few differences between a cardiovascular surgeon and a general surgeon in terms of educational background:

	Cardiovascular Surgeon	General Surgeon
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 30%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Cardiovascular surgeon vs general surgeon demographics

Here are the differences between cardiovascular surgeons' and general surgeons' demographics:

	Cardiovascular Surgeon	General Surgeon
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 51.5% Female, 48.5%	Male, 53.9% Female, 46.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 1.8% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 5.0% Asian, 12.7% White, 76.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 1.8% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 5.0% Asian, 12.7% White, 76.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between cardiovascular surgeon and general surgeon duties and responsibilities

Cardiovascular surgeon example responsibilities.

Experience in skeletonize harvesting of both internal thoracic arteries, and saphenous vein harvest.
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.

General surgeon example responsibilities.

Manage insurance authorization and hospital bookings for surgery.
Provide preoperative diagnosis of patients, perform the necessary emergency or elective surgery, and provide postoperative surgical care and treatment.
Provide patient ancillary testing such as EKG, NDX and NCV.
Wash and sterilize equipment, using germicides and sterilizers.
Assist the physician during angioplasty and endovenous laser ablation procedures.
Clean operating room and wash and sterilize equipment, using germicides and sterilizers.

Cardiovascular surgeon vs general surgeon skills

Common cardiovascular surgeon skills

Cardiovascular Surgery, 75%
Patient Care, 15%
CPT, 4%
Harvest, 3%
Diagnostic Tests, 2%

Common general surgeon skills

Patients, 34%
EMR, 14%
Medical Education, 9%
Patient Care, 8%
Endoscopy, 6%
Private Practice, 3%

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Cardiovascular Surgeon
Cardiovascular Surgeon vs General Surgeon

Updated January 8, 2025

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