General surgery physician assistant vs general surgeon

The differences between general surgery physician assistants and general surgeons can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a general surgery physician assistant has an average salary of $228,104, which is higher than the $223,321 average annual salary of a general surgeon.

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

General surgery physician assistant vs general surgeon overview

	General Surgery Physician Assistant	General Surgeon
Yearly salary	$228,104	$223,321
Hourly rate	$109.67	$107.37
Growth rate	28%	7%
Number of jobs	81,744	45,174
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 30%
Average age	39	49
Years of experience	-	6

What does a general surgery physician assistant do?

A General Surgery Physician Assistant helps surgeon with various tasks, such as inserting tubes, retracting issues, starting intravenous solutions, and others. They also write orders for patients while they are in the recovery room, as well as examine and monitor patients as they recover from their surgeries.

What does a general surgeon do?

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.

General surgery physician assistant vs general surgeon salary

General surgery physician assistants and general surgeons have different pay scales, as shown below.

	General Surgery Physician Assistant	General Surgeon
Average salary	$228,104	$223,321
Salary range	Between $118,000 And $439,000	Between $121,000 And $411,000
Highest paying City	Montclair, CA	Watertown, NY
Highest paying state	California	Connecticut
Best paying company	Beaufort Memorial Hospital	Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County
Best paying industry	Professional	Health Care

Differences between general surgery physician assistant and general surgeon education

There are a few differences between a general surgery physician assistant and a general surgeon in terms of educational background:

	General Surgery Physician Assistant	General Surgeon
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 30%
Most common major	Physician Assistant	Medicine
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

General surgery physician assistant vs general surgeon demographics

Here are the differences between general surgery physician assistants' and general surgeons' demographics:

	General Surgery Physician Assistant	General Surgeon
Average age	39	49
Gender ratio	Male, 38.0% Female, 62.0%	Male, 53.9% Female, 46.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.4% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 11.4% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	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 surgery physician assistant and general surgeon duties and responsibilities

General surgery physician assistant example responsibilities.

Work closely with patients to manage their depression and anxiety beginning with initial diagnosis to med-initiation and follow-up care.
Develop basic surgical skills, such as suturing, retracting of tissue; debridement of wounds.
Order, perform, and interpret laboratory and radiology test within the scope of professional practice.
Educate patients on post-operative recovery and discharge needs.
Evaluate patients for admission from the emergency room and perform inpatient consultations.
Monitor stress testing; review nuclear component of stress images; conduct cardiology consultations inpatient and outpatient settings.

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.

General surgery physician assistant vs general surgeon skills

Common general surgery physician assistant skills

Patients, 34%
Plastic Surgery, 20%
Patient Care, 13%
Physician Assistants, 6%
Surgical Procedures, 4%
Physical Examinations, 3%

Common general surgeon skills

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

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General Surgery Physician Assistant
General Surgery Physician Assistant vs General Surgeon

Updated January 8, 2025

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