What does a hand surgeon do?
A hand surgeon is a health professional that is skilled in the field of medicine that deals with problems that relate to the hand, wrist, and forearm. Your job responsibility is to attend to the problems of clients and provide solutions. Most of these problems can be resolved without the need for surgery unless when necessary. Your job is to reduce and get rid of pain and restore movement and function.
Hand surgeon responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real hand surgeon resumes:
- Manage insurance authorization and hospital bookings for surgery.
- Schedule patients for surgery and diagnostic testing; eligibility benefits and insurance verification duties.
- Assist Dr Fatuma Osman in dental procedures and consults.
- Inform patients on various reactions to prescribe medications along with other medical information.
- Board-Certify dermatologist performing Mohs surgery, advance reconstruction, blepharoplasty, liposuction, cosmetic & medical dermatology.
- Generate billing and conduct follow-up calls.
Hand surgeon skills and personality traits
We calculated that 67% of Hand Surgeons are proficient in Patients, EMR, and MRI. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Compassion, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Hand Surgeons that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 67%
Schedule all follow up exams, and work conditioning for patients sometimes 3x a week for 4-6 weeks.
- EMR, 18%
Format of medical reports closely assimilated what is now the guideline of the current EMR format.
- MRI, 8%
Proposed and developed an MRI imaging center that increased practice revenues by an estimated $800,000 the first year.
- Memorial Hospital, 3%
Riddle Memorial Hospital (Delaware Co.)
- Patient Appointments, 1%
Scheduled, re-scheduled, and confirmed patient appointments via telephone.
- Vital Signs, 1%
Assisted in administering anesthesia and monitoring of vital signs under direction of the physician in operative room.
"patients," "emr," and "mri" are among the most common skills that hand surgeons use at work. You can find even more hand surgeon responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a hand surgeon to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "physicians and surgeons need to be excellent communicators." Hand surgeons often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "strengthened knowledge of the importance of communication skills between physicians and patients"
Compassion. Another essential skill to perform hand surgeon duties is compassion. Hand surgeons responsibilities require that "patients who are sick or injured may be in extreme pain or distress." Hand surgeons also use compassion in their role according to a real resume snippet: "calm and educate patients regarding procedures performed, using special care and techniques with compassion to young children. "
Detail oriented. hand surgeons are also known for detail oriented, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to hand surgeon responsibilities, because "patients must receive appropriate treatment and medications." A hand surgeon resume example shows how detail oriented is used in the workplace: "register new patients and update existing detailed patient information including personal and financial information. "
Dexterity. A big part of what hand surgeons do relies on "dexterity." You can see how essential it is to hand surgeon responsibilities because "physicians and surgeons may work with very precise and sometimes sharp tools, and mistakes can have serious consequences." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical hand surgeon tasks: "gained invaluable knowledge of the medical industry and patient care; developed diagnostic and problem-solving skills through hands-on clinical experience. "
Leadership skills. Another common skill required for hand surgeon responsibilities is "leadership skills." This skill comes up in the duties of hand surgeons all the time, as "physicians who work in their own practice must manage a staff of other professionals." An excerpt from a real hand surgeon resume shows how this skill is central to what a hand surgeon does: "delivered advice to surgeon general and executive leadership on public health policies, project implementation, and milestone establishment. "
Physical stamina. While "physical stamina" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to hand surgeon responsibilities. Much of what a hand surgeon does relies on this skill, seeing as "physicians and surgeons should be comfortable lifting or turning disabled patients, or performing other physical tasks." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of hand surgeons: "manage soldiers' physical evaluation; update and maintain medical history. "
The three companies that hire the most hand surgeons are:
- Concentra34 hand surgeons jobs
- CHRISTUS Health2 hand surgeons jobs
- Mayo Clinic2 hand surgeons jobs
Compare different hand surgeons
Hand surgeon vs. Eye physician
A Neurosurgeon is responsible for diagnosing conditions related to the nervous system, determining treatment plans, and administering medications. Neurosurgeons perform surgeries and conduct further laboratory tests to track their progress and adjust treatment plans as needed. They also discuss the medical procedures and processes with the patients and advise them about the treatments. A Neurosurgeon must have excellent communication and organizational skills, pervasive knowledge of the medical expertise to help patients with accurate recovery plans and development.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between hand surgeons and eye physician. For instance, hand surgeon responsibilities require skills such as "patients," "emr," "mri," and "memorial hospital." Whereas a eye physician is skilled in "exam rooms," "eye drops," "patient charts," and "field testing." This is part of what separates the two careers.
On average, eye physicians reach higher levels of education than hand surgeons. Eye physicians are 8.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 3.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Hand surgeon vs. Surgeon's assistant
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, hand surgeon responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "dictation," "patient appointments," "ehr," and "schedule appointments." Meanwhile, a surgeon's assistant has duties that require skills in areas such as "ortho," "epic," "general surgery," and "direct patient care." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Surgeon's assistants tend to reach similar levels of education than hand surgeons. In fact, they're 4.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 3.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Hand surgeon vs. Upper extremity surgeon
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a hand surgeon is likely to be skilled in "patients," "emr," "memorial hospital," and "dictation," while a typical upper extremity surgeon is skilled in "physical therapy," "appointment scheduling," "clinical education," and "diagnosis codes."
Upper extremity surgeons typically earn higher educational levels compared to hand surgeons. Specifically, they're 31.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Hand surgeon vs. Neurosurgeon
Even though a few skill sets overlap between hand surgeons and neurosurgeons, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a hand surgeon might have more use for skills like "emr," "memorial hospital," "dictation," and "patient appointments." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of neurosurgeons require skills like "cme," "medical care," "neurosurgical," and "icu. "
In general, neurosurgeons hold higher degree levels compared to hand surgeons. Neurosurgeons are 12.2% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 25.4% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of hand surgeon
Updated January 8, 2025
