A transplant surgeon is a surgeon that specializes in organ transplants. Transplant surgeons are superheroes that are able to conduct life-saving operations that are often hours and hours long. However, they do not spend all of their time in the operating room.
Before an operation, transplant surgeons meet extensively with patients and their loved ones to go over their medical history and explain the procedures. They examine the compatibility of donors and recipients extensively in order to prevent a transplant failure. Some transplant surgeons specialize in particular organs, such as heart transplants; others are multi-organ transplant surgeons. Whatever their specialty, transplant surgeons need steady hands and a cool head.
Transplant surgeons are extremely well-paid, earning an average salary of $261,733 a year. However, the lucrative paycheck only comes after over a decade of preparations.
First, transplant surgeons need to get a bachelor's degree and a diploma from medical school. They complete a general residency just like any other prospective doctor, but then they need to complete an additional three years of a transplant surgery fellowship. Only then can they become certified transplant surgeons.
Transplant Surgeon Overview
Transplant Surgeon Careers
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a transplant surgeon. For example, did you know that they make an average of $127.53 an hour? That's $265,260 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 7% and produce 55,400 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does a Transplant Surgeon Do
There are certain skills that many transplant 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, compassion and detail oriented.
When it comes to searching for a job, many search for a key term or phrase. Instead, it might be more helpful to search by industry, as you might be missing jobs that you never thought about in industries that you didn't even think offered positions related to the transplant surgeon job title. But what industry to start with? Most transplant surgeons actually find jobs in the health care and education industries.
How To Become a Transplant Surgeon
If you're interested in becoming a transplant surgeon, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 10.0% of transplant surgeons have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 20.0% of transplant surgeons have master's degrees. Even though most transplant 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 transplant surgeon. When we researched the most common majors for a transplant surgeon, we found that they most commonly earn doctoral degree degrees or master's degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on transplant surgeon resumes include bachelor's degree degrees or associate degree degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a transplant surgeon. In fact, many transplant surgeon jobs require experience in a role such as reviewer. Meanwhile, many transplant surgeons also have previous career experience in roles such as resident or associate professor of surgery.
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Average Salary for a Transplant Surgeon
Best Paying Cities
Recently Added Salaries
Job TitleCompany  | Company | Start Date | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
Au Medical Associates Inc. Transplant Surgeon Transplant Surgeon | Au Medical Associates Inc. Au Medical Associates Inc. | 02/18/2021 02/18/2021 | $325,00002/18/2021 $325,000 |
VCU Health System Authority Transplant Surgeon Transplant Surgeon | VCU Health System Authority VCU Health System Authority | 01/27/2021 01/27/2021 | $200,76001/27/2021 $200,760 |
VCU Health System Authority Transplant Surgeon Transplant Surgeon | VCU Health System Authority VCU Health System Authority | 01/26/2021 01/26/2021 | $200,76001/26/2021 $200,760 |
Au Medical Associates Inc. Transplant Surgeon Transplant Surgeon | Au Medical Associates Inc. Au Medical Associates Inc. | 01/20/2021 01/20/2021 | $325,00001/20/2021 $325,000 |
Integris Health, Inc. Abdominal Transplant Surgeon Abdominal Transplant Surgeon | Integris Health, Inc. Integris Health, Inc. | 09/14/2020 09/14/2020 | $209,26909/14/2020 $209,269 |
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Top Colleges for Transplant Surgeons
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
6. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
7. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
8. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
9. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA • Private
10. Ohio State University
Columbus, OH • Private
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Best States For a Transplant Surgeon
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a transplant surgeon. The best states for people in this position are Minnesota, Oregon, South Dakota, and North Dakota. Transplant surgeons make the most in Minnesota with an average salary of $225,236. Whereas in Oregon and South Dakota, they would average $221,720 and $217,768, respectively. While transplant surgeons would only make an average of $215,890 in North Dakota, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Minnesota
$225,236
Avg. Salary
2. North Dakota
$215,890
Avg. Salary
3. South Dakota
$217,768
Avg. Salary