Surgical oncologist vs surgeon

The differences between surgical oncologists and surgeons can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a surgical oncologist and a surgeon. Additionally, a surgical oncologist has an average salary of $284,293, which is higher than the $155,553 average annual salary of a surgeon.

The top three skills for a surgical oncologist include GI, general surgeons and chemotherapy. The most important skills for a surgeon are patients, general surgery, and healthcare.

Surgical oncologist vs surgeon overview

	Surgical Oncologist	Surgeon
Yearly salary	$284,293	$155,553
Hourly rate	$136.68	$74.79
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	24,568	37,918
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	6	6

Surgical oncologist vs surgeon salary

Surgical oncologists and surgeons have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Surgical Oncologist	Surgeon
Average salary	$284,293	$155,553
Salary range	Between $146,000 And $552,000	Between $85,000 And $284,000
Highest paying City	Coon Rapids, MN	Lewiston, ME
Highest paying state	Alaska	Maine
Best paying company	Allina Health	MaineGeneral Health
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between surgical oncologist and surgeon education

There are a few differences between a surgical oncologist and a surgeon in terms of educational background:

	Surgical Oncologist	Surgeon
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Medical Technician	Medicine
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Surgical oncologist vs surgeon demographics

Here are the differences between surgical oncologists' and surgeons' demographics:

	Surgical Oncologist	Surgeon
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 52.9% Female, 47.1%	Male, 51.2% Female, 48.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 1.8% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 5.0% Asian, 12.7% White, 76.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 1.8% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 5.0% Asian, 12.7% White, 76.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between surgical oncologist and surgeon duties and responsibilities

Surgical oncologist example responsibilities.

Initiate preventative measures, recognize emergent problems and care for patients requiring long term pain management.
Research and update billing policies as changes are make by CMS.

Surgeon example responsibilities.

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.

Surgical oncologist vs surgeon skills

Common surgical oncologist skills

GI, 77%
General Surgeons, 16%
Chemotherapy, 7%

Common surgeon skills

Patients, 26%
General Surgery, 12%
Healthcare, 12%
Patient Care, 7%
Mohs, 5%
Private Practice, 4%

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Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist vs Surgeon

Updated January 8, 2025

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