Yes, surgeons are happy for a number of reasons. In fact, surgeons ranked in the top 2% of careers for career satisfaction. This can be attributed to a few different reasons, such as the high salary, a sense of purpose felt, and skill utilization. Surgeons often feel satisfied in their position because they are able to directly use what they previously learned to benefit others. People feel happiness and satisfaction in their jobs most often when they feel that they have a purpose. Surgeons have a very high rate of feeling that their job has meaning, and this makes sense. Surgeons, and the surgeries they perform, are often life-saving. Surgeons play a crucial part in our world, and that feeling of being needed can make surgeons feel very happy. Most surgeons feel very happy with their income, with very few feeling dissatisfied with their income level. On average, a surgeon in the United States will make over $200,000 annually. It is important to note that there is a tremendous amount of schooling and dedication required, but if you get through it, the end result will be extremely rewarding in many ways.

What does a surgeon do?

Q: What does a surgeon do on a daily basis?

On a daily basis, surgeons perform operations, consults with patients, and collaborates with other healthcare professionals. Primarily, a surgeon's day involves performing surgeries related to their specialty. These could range from minor outpatient procedures to complex operations. During the surgeries, they make decisions regarding their patients' health, manage surgical teams, and ensure all surgical equipment is available and functioning properly.

Q: How hard is it to become a surgeon?

It is extremely hard to become a surgeon. Becoming a surgeon takes over a decade, and the journey involves multiple medical degrees, years of intense study, and very difficult medical exams.

Q: How many hours do surgeons work?

Surgeons work an average of 50 to 60 hours per week, and this does not include their on-call hours. Surgeons' shifts can be anywhere from 12 to 28 hours long. Many private surgical practices and hospitals do not allow surgeons to work for over 80 hours a week.

Q: What does a typical day look like for a Surgeon?

A typical day for a surgeon is very busy. They usually wake up early in the morning and head to the hospital. They spend their day performing surgery and consulting with patients. In between surgeries, they may have some time to eat and catch up on paperwork.

Q: What hours do surgeons work?

Typically, surgeons work around 40 hours a week. Because hospitals must have options for surgery available 24/7, most surgeons do shift work. These shifts can vary from 6 to 12 hours, depending on the hospital and the doctor's availability.

Updated January 8, 2025

8 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Haydee Encarnacion-Garcia Ph.D.

A surgeon is a medical professional who conducts surgical procedures on the human body to treat injuries and diseases such as broken bones and cancerous tumors. Surgeons are required to review test results to identify abnormal findings and recommend a plan of treatment to patients. They must manage surgical technicians during the surgery process to ensure all standards of care and safety are followed in the operating room. Surgeons must also address concerns that the patients have about their health and well-being.

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Surgeon responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real surgeon resumes:

Manage insurance authorization and hospital bookings for surgery.
Assist senior staff in dental treatment of several complex procedures including dental treatment of medically compromise patients.
Coordinate with patients and medical staff at civilian and military treatment facilities to schedule medical appointments and retrieve medical documentation.
Observe fracture plating, skin grafting, wind cleaning, amputation, and other Orthopaedic surgeries.

Surgeon skills and personality traits

We calculated that 26% of Surgeons are proficient in Patients, General Surgery, and Healthcare. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Compassion, and Detail oriented.

We break down the percentage of Surgeons that have these skills listed on their resume here:

Patients, 26%
Treated patients with infectious diseases, cardiovascular diseases, pulmonary diseases, Gynecological diseases, Psychiatric cases, neurological disorders etc.
General Surgery, 12%
General Surgery and endoscopy caring for veteran population
Healthcare, 12%
Coordinated and organized post-deployment healthcare assessment (PDHA) standard operating procedures for subordinate units in Iraq.
Patient Care, 7%
Assist nursing staff in patient care and medication administration; to include IV fluid therapy, injections, and immunizations.
Mohs, 5%
Assist with Mohs Surgery and Biopsies.
Private Practice, 4%
Employed private practice position with emphasis on reconstructive and cosmetic procedures of the breast, body, and skin structures

"patients," "general surgery," and "healthcare" are among the most common skills that surgeons use at work. You can find even more surgeon responsibilities below, including:

Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for a 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 surgeon resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "manage all incoming calls, walk-in patients and customers, mail, and communication to the state surgeon office. "

Compassion. Many surgeon duties rely on compassion. "patients who are sick or injured may be in extreme pain or distress," so a surgeon will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways surgeon responsibilities rely on compassion: "calm and educate patients regarding procedures performed, using special care and techniques with compassion to young children. "

Detail oriented. surgeons are also known for detail oriented, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to surgeon responsibilities, because "patients must receive appropriate treatment and medications." A surgeon resume example shows how detail oriented is used in the workplace: "obtain detailed historical data from patients and perform focused physical examinations. "

Dexterity. A big part of what surgeons do relies on "dexterity." You can see how essential it is to 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 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 crucial skill for a surgeon to carry out their responsibilities is "leadership skills." A big part of what surgeons relies on this skill, since "physicians who work in their own practice must manage a staff of other professionals." How this skill relates to surgeon duties can be seen in an example from a surgeon resume snippet: "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 surgeon responsibilities. Much of what a 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 surgeons: "assist medical providers in performing physical exams and minor surgical procedures. "

See the full list of surgeon skills

The three companies that hire the most surgeons are:

Schweiger Dermatology Group10 surgeons jobs
Ethos Veterinary Health7 surgeons jobs
Concentra6 surgeons jobs

Choose from 10+ customizable surgeon resume templates

Build a professional surgeon resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your surgeon resume.

Compare different surgeons

Surgeon vs. Physician

Physicians' general responsibility is to check, diagnose, and treat a patient's condition to improve their overall wellness. A physician could be General Practitioners or Specialist Physicians, wherein General Practitioners are physicians who provide regular checkups for patients depending on their needs and refer them to a Specialist Physicians who are more skilled in a particular field of expertise for a thorough diagnosis. Physicians monitor a patient's medical history and ensure follow-up checkups to observe if the condition of a patient is changing over time. A physician may refer a patient to other health professionals for further examination as needed.

If we compare the average surgeon annual salary with that of a physician, we find that physicians typically earn a $83,334 higher salary than surgeons make annually.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both surgeon and physician positions are skilled in patients, patient care, and private practice.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, surgeon responsibilities require skills like "general surgery," "healthcare," "mohs," and "ortho." Meanwhile a typical physician has skills in areas such as "surgery," "family practice," "urgent care," and "emergency medicine." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Physicians really shine in the health care industry with an average salary of $169,042. Comparatively, surgeons tend to make the most money in the professional industry with an average salary of $182,739.On average, physicians reach similar levels of education than surgeons. Physicians are 0.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 4.5% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Surgeon vs. Doctor

A doctor is a medical expert who diagnoses and treats illnesses and injuries, often specializing in particular areas. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting initial interviews and examinations, studying a patient's medical history and laboratory results, providing consultations and care advice, prescribing medication, and referring patients to specialists when necessary. They must also coordinate and maintain an active communication line with nurses, administrators, and technicians for a smooth workflow. Moreover, a doctor must educate patients about their health conditions, helping them understand their situation better.

On average, doctors earn a $53,029 higher salary than surgeons a year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both surgeons and doctors have skills such as "patients," "patient care," and "private practice. "

Each career also uses different skills, according to real surgeon resumes. While surgeon responsibilities can utilize skills like "general surgery," "healthcare," "mohs," and "ortho," doctors use skills like "customer service," "emergency medicine," "surgery," and "dr."

Doctors may earn a higher salary than surgeons, but doctors earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $178,767. On the other hand, surgeons receive higher pay in the professional industry, where they earn an average salary of $182,739.In general, doctors achieve similar levels of education than surgeons. They're 0.3% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 4.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for surgeons in the next 3-5 years?

Dr. Haydee Encarnacion-Garcia Ph.D.

Associate Professor, MPH Program Director, Indiana Wesleyan University

We observe how telemedicine or telehealth has become critical/crucial as a distribution tool of health-related services and information via electronic venues. Telemedicine or telehealth has become a way to exchange data between clinician(s) and patient(s), incredibly popular among the influencers, and extremely important to promote long-distance clinical healthcare and health-related public health education for communities located in remote areas. Telehealth applications most require the need to educate and increase health literacy among certain groups, such as the elderly. Indeed, mobile health and remote patient monitoring applications will turn out to be an essential advance to disseminate public health information and clinical data based on accurate and well-designed surveillance systems.

Surgeon vs. Eye physician

An average eye physician eans a higher salary compared to the average salary of surgeons. The difference in salaries amounts to eye physicians earning a $132,617 higher average salary than surgeons.surgeons and eye physicians both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "patient care," "exam rooms," and "front desk," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a surgeon is likely to be skilled in "patients," "general surgery," "healthcare," and "mohs," while a typical eye physician is skilled in "eye drops," "patient appointments," "patient charts," and "field testing."

Eye physicians typically earn similar educational levels compared to surgeons. Specifically, they're 1.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 14.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Surgeon vs. Upper extremity surgeon

Upper extremity surgeons typically earn higher pay than surgeons. On average, upper extremity surgeons earn a $278,674 higher salary per year.While both surgeons and upper extremity surgeons complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like mri, surgical procedures, and post-operative care, the two careers vary in some skills.While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "patients," "general surgery," "healthcare," and "patient care" are skills that commonly show up on surgeon resumes. On the other hand, upper extremity surgeons use skills like physical therapy, appointment scheduling, clinical education, and diagnosis codes on their resumes.upper extremity surgeons reach higher levels of education compared to surgeons, in general. The difference is that they're 24.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 19.8% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of surgeon

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.

What a surgeon does FAQs