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The differences between general surgeons and thoracic 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 thoracic surgeon. Additionally, a thoracic surgeon has an average salary of $437,281, 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 thoracic surgeon are patient care, CME, and lung cancer.
| General Surgeon | Thoracic Surgeon | |
| Yearly salary | $223,321 | $437,281 |
| Hourly rate | $107.37 | $210.23 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 45,174 | 3,460 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 30% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 49 | 49 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
The General Surgeon's role is to perform operations to treat or prevent diseases, repair damage caused by injuries, and improve the functions of the human body through the use of different surgical instruments. They also assess patients and explain different diagnostic tests that are performed.
A Thoracic Surgeon is often grouped with cardiac or heart specialists for cardiothoracic surgery. He/She is a surgeon who specializes in surgery that involves the heart, lungs, esophagus, and other major blood vessels inside the chest as well as surgery of the chest wall. As a thoracic surgeon, your job is to evaluate a patient's medical history and educate him or her about her condition as well as available options. Generally, you are expected to diagnose and treat diseases in the chest, and you'll do it sometimes by working closely with the primary care doctor or other specialists.
General surgeons and thoracic surgeons have different pay scales, as shown below.
| General Surgeon | Thoracic Surgeon | |
| Average salary | $223,321 | $437,281 |
| Salary range | Between $121,000 And $411,000 | Between $217,000 And $880,000 |
| Highest paying City | Watertown, NY | Minneapolis, MN |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Minnesota |
| Best paying company | Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County | Allina Health |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | - |
There are a few differences between a general surgeon and a thoracic surgeon in terms of educational background:
| General Surgeon | Thoracic Surgeon | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 30% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Medicine | Nursing |
| Most common college | Duke University | New York University |
Here are the differences between general surgeons' and thoracic surgeons' demographics:
| General Surgeon | Thoracic Surgeon | |
| Average age | 49 | 49 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.9% Female, 46.1% | Male, 35.3% Female, 64.7% |
| 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% |