What does a plastic surgeon do?
Plastic surgeons must have skills in hand-eye coordination, spatial awareness, organization, communication, and teamwork. This career also requires a bachelor's degree in a premedical major and completion of a four-year M.D. and a surgical residency. Those who choose this career path perform reconstructive plastic surgery in order to restore form and function following illness or trauma and/or perform cosmetic surgery for simple alteration of appearance.
Plastic surgeon responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real plastic surgeon resumes:
- Manage insurance authorization and hospital bookings for surgery.
- Develop x-rays, foot and ankle therapies, including hydrotherapy, ultrasound and hot wax.
- Assist with surgery scheduling, casting/removing, & casting for orthotics.
- Check patient in/out, collect co-payments/deductibles that apply for orthotics, enter charges/post payments.
- Perform administrative tasks regarding origination paperwork for patients, preoperative paperwork, medical clearance, financing and payment.
- Complete knowledge of military and DOD protocols pertaining to network and computer systems.
- Supervise and establish duty assignment procedures including the update and implementation of the DoD policies.
- Manage insurance authorization and hospital bookings for surgery.
Plastic surgeon skills and personality traits
We calculated that 55% of Plastic Surgeons are proficient in Patients, Patient Care, and Hand Surgery. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Dexterity, and Leadership skills.
We break down the percentage of Plastic Surgeons that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 55%
Provide exceptional customer service to patients.
- Patient Care, 9%
Assisted Dr. Busch, as well as the team in ensuring optimal patient care.
- Hand Surgery, 6%
Specialized in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, microsurgery and hand surgery.
- Private Practice, 6%
Front Desk Coordinator * Assisted Dr. with starting private practice.
- Medical Procedures, 5%
Prepare rooms for medical procedures.
- Surgical Procedures, 4%
Scheduled and coordinated surgical procedures with doctor, anesthesia group and nursing staff for both in-house and hospital-based surgeries.
"patients," "patient care," and "hand surgery" are among the most common skills that plastic surgeons use at work. You can find even more plastic surgeon responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for a plastic surgeon to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "physicians and surgeons need to be excellent communicators." Additionally, a plastic surgeon resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "assisted in the or, as well as office and phone communications with our patients. "
Dexterity. Many plastic surgeon duties rely on dexterity. "physicians and surgeons may work with very precise and sometimes sharp tools, and mistakes can have serious consequences.," so a plastic surgeon will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways plastic surgeon responsibilities rely on dexterity: "gained invaluable knowledge of the medical industry and patient care; developed diagnostic and problem-solving skills through hands-on clinical experience. "
Leadership skills. plastic surgeons are also known for leadership skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to plastic surgeon responsibilities, because "physicians who work in their own practice must manage a staff of other professionals." A plastic surgeon resume example shows how leadership skills is used in the workplace: "delivered advice to surgeon general and executive leadership on public health policies, project implementation, and milestone establishment. "
Physical stamina. plastic surgeon responsibilities often require "physical stamina." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "physicians and surgeons should be comfortable lifting or turning disabled patients, or performing other physical tasks." This resume example shows what plastic surgeons do with physical stamina on a typical day: "performed physical examinations and pre-op evaluations. "
Problem-solving skills. Another common skill required for plastic surgeon responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." This skill comes up in the duties of plastic surgeons all the time, as "physicians and surgeons need to evaluate patients’ symptoms and administer the appropriate treatments." An excerpt from a real plastic surgeon resume shows how this skill is central to what a plastic surgeon does: "solved many problems with patients accounts if any. "
Compassion. While "compassion" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to plastic surgeon responsibilities. Much of what a plastic surgeon does relies on this skill, seeing as "patients who are sick or injured may be in extreme pain or distress." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of plastic surgeons: "provided and directed patient care in an appropriate and compassionate manner. "
The three companies that hire the most plastic surgeons are:
- Cook Children's Medical Center6 plastic surgeons jobs
- MaineGeneral Health4 plastic surgeons jobs
- Cleveland Clinic3 plastic surgeons jobs
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Compare different plastic surgeons
Plastic surgeon vs. Eye physician
Optical lab technicians, also known as ophthalmic laboratory technicians, create prescription eyeglasses and contact lenses. They work together with optometrists, opticians, and ophthalmologists. They received orders from optometrists and opticians to create prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses as per requirement. They also do the cutting, polishing, and grinding lenses as per prescription for products like microscopes, binoculars, or telescopes. They do their work by a computer program and automated tools to make the prescribed lenses before it is sent off to the customer.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a plastic surgeon are more likely to require skills like "patients," "hand surgery," "private practice," and "medical procedures." On the other hand, a job as an eye physician requires skills like "eye drops," "field testing," "consent forms," and "ehr." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
On average, eye physicians reach similar levels of education than plastic surgeons. Eye physicians are 1.5% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 3.8% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Plastic surgeon vs. Optical technician
Each career also uses different skills, according to real plastic surgeon resumes. While plastic surgeon responsibilities can utilize skills like "hand surgery," "private practice," "medical procedures," and "surgical procedures," optical technicians use skills like "chrome," "dexterity," "manual dexterity," and "cnc."
Optical technicians may earn a lower salary than plastic surgeons, but optical technicians earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $47,206. On the other hand, plastic surgeons receive higher pay in the professional industry, where they earn an average salary of $194,121.optical technicians earn lower levels of education than plastic surgeons in general. They're 6.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 3.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Plastic surgeon vs. Surgeon's assistant
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, plastic surgeons are more likely to have skills like "patient care," "hand surgery," "private practice," and "breast reconstruction." But a surgeon's assistant is more likely to have skills like "ortho," "emr," "epic," and "general surgery."
Surgeon's assistants earn the highest salary when working in the health care industry, where they receive an average salary of $199,491. Comparatively, plastic surgeons have the highest earning potential in the professional industry, with an average salary of $194,121.When it comes to education, surgeon's assistants tend to earn similar degree levels compared to plastic surgeons. In fact, they're 2.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 4.9% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Plastic surgeon vs. Foot and ankle surgeon
Types of plastic surgeon
Updated January 8, 2025
