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Surgeon skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted experts

Erica Sutton,

Charles Wolgemuth

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical surgeon skills. We ranked the top skills for surgeons based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 26.4% of surgeon resumes contained patients as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a surgeon needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 surgeon skills for your resume and career

1. Patients

Here's how surgeons use patients:

Treated patients with infectious diseases, cardiovascular diseases, pulmonary diseases, Gynecological diseases, Psychiatric cases, neurological disorders etc.
Register new patients and update existing patient demographics by collecting personal and financial information.

2. General Surgery

Here's how surgeons use general surgery:

General Surgery and endoscopy caring for veteran population
Integrated Medical Services General Surgery/Orthopedic Surgery Key West, FL Assistant Surgeon: Averaged 60 hours per week including on-call rotations.

3. Healthcare

Healthcare is the maintenance or improvement of a person's health by the diagnosis and treatment of a person's injury, illness, or any other disease. Healthcare is a basic necessity of human life and is the responsibility of the country's government to ensure that each person gets healthcare. Providing healthcare is the job of certified health professionals that includes doctors, surgeons, nurses, and other physicians. Pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, dentistry, therapy, and health training all come under healthcare. Healthcare plays a vital role in the country's economy and its development.

Here's how surgeons use healthcare:

Coordinated and organized post-deployment healthcare assessment (PDHA) standard operating procedures for subordinate units in Iraq.
Supervised the daily duties and scope of practice of six Healthcare clinics providing care to over 5000 Soldiers.

4. Patient Care

Patient care entails the diagnosis, recovery, and control of sickness as well as the maintenance of physical and emotional well-being through the use of healthcare providers' services. Patient care is described as services provided to patients by health practitioners or non-professionals under guidance.

Here's how surgeons use patient care:

Assist nursing staff in patient care and medication administration; to include IV fluid therapy, injections, and immunizations.
Managed to work in a surgical theater Performed work-related duties while maintaining patient care, safety and privacy.

5. Mohs

The Mohs, micrographic surgery, refers to a surgical technique for treating skin cancer. Mohs surgery involves removing thin layers of cancer-containing skin and examining cancer-free tissues, a process that helps to remove visible lesions on the skin. Micrographic surgery aims to remove skin cancer as much as possible without or with minimal harm to the surrounding healthy tissues.

Here's how surgeons use mohs:

Assist with Mohs Surgery and Biopsies.
Board-certified dermatologist performing Mohs surgery, advanced reconstruction, blepharoplasty, liposuction, cosmetic & medical dermatology.

6. Private Practice

Private practice refers to a business operated by professionals such as doctors or lawyers neither controlled nor paid by the government.

Here's how surgeons use private practice:

Employed private practice position with emphasis on reconstructive and cosmetic procedures of the breast, body, and skin structures
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon in Private Practice

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7. Ortho

Ortho is a medical prefix that refers to straightening something. This is seen in medical professions such as an orthodontist, who straightens teeth, or an orthopedic physician or surgeon, who assists in straightening a skeletal structure to prevent future deformities or harmful issues to develop.

Here's how surgeons use ortho:

Assisted surgeons during routine procedures such as Ortho, General, Ent, Optho and Gyn.
Experience in Ortho, Eyes, ENT, OB/Gyn, General, Plastics and Endoscopy.

8. Internal Medicine

Here's how surgeons use internal medicine:

Completed Honorary House Job in the INTERNAL MEDICINE department of Ramzaan Hospital, a premier medical destination in J&K.

9. Radiology

Radiology means a division of medicine that concentrates on the use of radiant energy or any other radioactive material in the process of diagnosis and ailment treatments. It deals specifically with X-rays and radiations bearing high-energy, used in medicine and diagnosis.

Here's how surgeons use radiology:

Filed medical records and radiology reports.
Instructed students on general radiology procedures and explained interpretation of x-rays.

10. MRI

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a non-invasive and painless procedure that uses strong magnetic fields, radio waves, and computers to create detailed and cross images of the body's inner parts. MRI scanner can detect anomalies inside the brain and spinal cord, find tumors or cysts, detect heart, liver, and other abdominal organ problems, and many more. MRIs are very useful in studying soft tissues and the nervous system. Aside from diagnosing diseases, doctors also use MRI to check how well you have recovered from a particular treatment.

Here's how surgeons use mri:

Assisted nurse with scheduling MRI's, assisted in submitting surgical claims.
Proposed and developed an MRI imaging center that increased practice revenues by an estimated $800,000 the first year.

11. EMR

Here's how surgeons use emr:

Format of medical reports closely assimilated what is now the guideline of the current EMR format.
Make and use EMR's and hard copy charts.

12. Primary Care

Here's how surgeons use primary care:

Formulated policies and designed programs for primary care optimization.
Provided primary care to the 300 Soldiers assigned to the battalion.

13. Medical Education

Medical education is the education related to the practice of being a medical practitioner and a physician. It provides instruction and information in the sciences basic to medicine and in clinical practice. It aims to refine health care providers' skills to improve overall patient care and stay current with the latest developments within their specialty.

Here's how surgeons use medical education:

Developed new training opportunities for staff in-house and outside of the Office for Continuing Medical Education.

14. Rehabilitation

Here's how surgeons use rehabilitation:

Trained and experienced in Air inverted ambient cure CIPP lateral rehabilitation through LMK Technologies process and materiel.
Observed patient experience in follow up care and rehabilitation Learned about the risks and benefits of arthroscopic knee and shoulder surgeries.

15. Surgical Procedures

Surgical procedures include the list of tasks that are done while doing surgery. Usually, a surgical procedure involves an incision with instruments, performed to repair damage or heal the disease in a living body. Surgical procedures are performed by trained individuals such as surgeons, doctors, and nurses.

Here's how surgeons use surgical procedures:

Prepared and correctly transferred sterile instruments to surgeons during a surgical procedure.
Performed minor surgical procedures and assisted surgeon in major surgical procedures.

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What skills help Surgeons find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on surgeon resumes?

Erica Sutton

Associate Dean, Morehouse School of Medicine

A desire to serve others greatly stands out this year.

What surgeon skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Charles Wolgemuth

Professor Director of Undergraduate Studies, University of Arizona

This is, of course, going to depend on the specific industry that a student is applying to. However, one skill that I have heard that is largely sought out is problem-solving. Any activities that allow a graduate to improve their problem-solving abilities will be beneficial, especially if the activity provides a demonstrable outcome to highlight the graduate's problem-solving abilities. In addition, computers continue to play a larger role in most industries, and the ability to code is a skill that will be more and more sought after.

What type of skills will young surgeons need?

Melissa Matusek

Director of Marketing and Communications, American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons

When DPMs enter the workforce after residency, the skills needed are many. First, they must have flexibility since the landscape and job descriptions of the profession of foot and ankle surgery are constantly changing. Those just out of training also must be motivated because the first few years out of training is when the stakes are high, when you are spending your time building a practice to prove your worth to patients and the profession.

Plus, aside from continuing to develop surgical skills and learn about the medical management of patients, there is an ever-changing need for a deep understanding of how the business of medicine works. Physicians are entering different work environments that place a variety of demands on them. Patients are also becoming more and more fixated on the costs of their health to themselves and are relying more and more on insurance coverage. These topics and skillsets are beyond the general knowledge base of resident physicians. They also need to be well-versed and adept in the changes in healthcare and insurance/billing practices.

The American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons offers not the surgical skills courses needed for foot and ankle surgeons but also a coding and billing course to help practice management skills and show surgeons at all levels how to get paid for the services they perform.

Do you want to know more?

List of surgeon skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a surgeon resume and required skills for a surgeon to have include:

Patients
General Surgery
Healthcare
Patient Care
Mohs
Private Practice
Ortho
Internal Medicine
Radiology
MRI
EMR
Primary Care
Medical Education

Rehabilitation
Surgical Procedures
Oral Surgery
Exam Rooms
GYN
Medical Care
Medicaid
Diagnostic Tests
Pediatrics
Sclerotherapy
EKG
Surgical Cases
Post-Operative Care

General Hospital
Memorial Hospital
Vital Signs
Front Desk
Insurance Verification
Medical Issues
Cholecystectomy
Medical History
Wound Closure
Resuscitation
Scheduling Appointments
Suturing
Ablation

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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Updated January 8, 2025

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