Physicians who conduct surgical and reconstructive procedures on patients are plastic surgeons. These can include optional courses, from rhinoplasty or breast augmentation, a preventive procedure such as 'micro' facial lifts, to retro-operative operations, such as deformity repairs or burning skin accidents. A plastic surgeon needs years of intensive preparation.
The educational journey starts with a four-year bachelor's degree, followed by a medical school that takes another four years to finish, and then an internship that typically lasts around six years. To become a plastic surgeon, you won't require a different undergraduate degree, although some courses are mandatory for you to take during your medical school days.
Some universities have premedical programs that allow students to choose classes to prepare them for medical education according to their major, so you won't have to search for the course out of your university if you aim to become a plastic surgeon.
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a plastic surgeon. For example, did you know that they make an average of $177.18 an hour? That's $368,541 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 7% and produce 55,400 job opportunities across the U.S.
There are certain skills that many plastic surgeons have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed communication skills, dexterity and leadership skills.
If you're interested in becoming a plastic surgeon, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 33.5% of plastic surgeons have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 9.0% of plastic surgeons have master's degrees. Even though most plastic surgeons have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a plastic surgeon. When we researched the most common majors for a plastic surgeon, we found that they most commonly earn bachelor's degree degrees or associate degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on plastic surgeon resumes include master's degree degrees or doctoral degree degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a plastic surgeon. In fact, many plastic surgeon jobs require experience in a role such as medical assistant. Meanwhile, many plastic surgeons also have previous career experience in roles such as staff nurse or administrative assistant.