General surgeon vs surgical oncologist

The differences between general surgeons and surgical oncologists 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 surgical oncologist. Additionally, a surgical oncologist has an average salary of $284,293, 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 surgical oncologist are GI, general surgeons, and chemotherapy.

General surgeon vs surgical oncologist overview

	General Surgeon	Surgical Oncologist
Yearly salary	$223,321	$284,293
Hourly rate	$107.37	$136.68
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	45,174	24,568
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	6	6

General surgeon vs surgical oncologist salary

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

	General Surgeon	Surgical Oncologist
Average salary	$223,321	$284,293
Salary range	Between $121,000 And $411,000	Between $146,000 And $552,000
Highest paying City	Watertown, NY	Coon Rapids, MN
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Alaska
Best paying company	Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County	Allina Health
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between general surgeon and surgical oncologist education

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

	General Surgeon	Surgical Oncologist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Most common major	Medicine	Medical Technician
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

General surgeon vs surgical oncologist demographics

Here are the differences between general surgeons' and surgical oncologists' demographics:

	General Surgeon	Surgical Oncologist
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 53.9% Female, 46.1%	Male, 52.9% Female, 47.1%
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 surgical oncologist 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.

Surgical oncologist example responsibilities.

Initiate preventative measures, recognize emergent problems and care for patients requiring long term pain management.
Research and update billing policies as changes are make by CMS.

General surgeon vs surgical oncologist skills

Common general surgeon skills

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

Common surgical oncologist skills

GI, 77%
General Surgeons, 16%
Chemotherapy, 7%

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General Surgeon
General Surgeon vs Surgical Oncologist

Updated January 8, 2025

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