General surgeon vs flight surgeon

The differences between general surgeons and flight 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 general surgeon and a flight surgeon. Additionally, a flight surgeon has an average salary of $429,498, which is higher than the $223,321 average annual salary of a general surgeon.

The top three skills for a general surgeon include patients, EMR and medical education. The most important skills for a flight surgeon are primary care, USAF, and medical support.

General surgeon vs flight surgeon overview

	General Surgeon	Flight Surgeon
Yearly salary	$223,321	$429,498
Hourly rate	$107.37	$206.49
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	45,174	4,876
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 30%	Doctoral Degree, 41%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	6	6

General surgeon vs flight surgeon salary

General surgeons and flight surgeons have different pay scales, as shown below.

	General Surgeon	Flight Surgeon
Average salary	$223,321	$429,498
Salary range	Between $121,000 And $411,000	Between $214,000 And $860,000
Highest paying City	Watertown, NY	-
Highest paying state	Connecticut	-
Best paying company	Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County	-
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between general surgeon and flight surgeon education

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

	General Surgeon	Flight Surgeon
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 30%	Doctoral Degree, 41%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

General surgeon vs flight surgeon demographics

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

	General Surgeon	Flight Surgeon
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 53.9% Female, 46.1%	Male, 81.9% Female, 18.1%
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 general surgeon and flight surgeon duties and responsibilities

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.

Flight surgeon example responsibilities.

Attain proficiency in high volume spay/neuter surgeries in order to support the mission of fighting pet overpopulation.
Coordinate with patients and medical staff at civilian and military treatment facilities to schedule medical appointments and retrieve medical documentation.
Collect R/R, IME and QME as they come in thru the billing department without having the case settle.

General surgeon vs flight surgeon skills

Common general surgeon skills

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

Common flight surgeon skills

Primary Care, 59%
USAF, 29%
Medical Support, 4%
Physical Exams, 3%
Medical Examinations, 1%
NASA, 1%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
General Surgeon
General Surgeon vs Flight Surgeon

Updated January 8, 2025

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