Trauma surgeon vs doctor

The differences between trauma surgeons and doctors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a trauma surgeon has an average salary of $406,184, which is higher than the $208,582 average annual salary of a doctor.

The top three skills for a trauma surgeon include critical care, patient care and trauma surgery. The most important skills for a doctor are patients, customer service, and emergency medicine.

Trauma surgeon vs doctor overview

	Trauma Surgeon	Doctor
Yearly salary	$406,184	$208,582
Hourly rate	$195.28	$100.28
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	3,750	14,571
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 25%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Average age	49	48
Years of experience	6	-

What does a trauma surgeon do?

Trauma surgeons attend to ER patients who fall into certain categories of medical conditions such as low blood pressure following a car accident or if emergency surgery is needed to prevent permanent damage or save their lives. They will assume responsibility for the patient's care if hospital admission is needed as well as follow-up care. Other duties of a trauma surgeon include evaluating, diagnosing, and stabilizing a patient with traumatic physical injury, treating patients with cuts, internal injuries, and bone fractures, and evaluating which injuries need medical intervention first.

What does a doctor do?

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.

Trauma surgeon vs doctor salary

Trauma surgeons and doctors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Trauma Surgeon	Doctor
Average salary	$406,184	$208,582
Salary range	Between $204,000 And $806,000	Between $106,000 And $408,000
Highest paying City	Grand Forks, ND	Green Bay, WI
Highest paying state	Minnesota	Ohio
Best paying company	Trinity Health	Saint Luke's Health System
Best paying industry	Professional	Health Care

Differences between trauma surgeon and doctor education

There are a few differences between a trauma surgeon and a doctor in terms of educational background:

	Trauma Surgeon	Doctor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 25%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Trauma surgeon vs doctor demographics

Here are the differences between trauma surgeons' and doctors' demographics:

	Trauma Surgeon	Doctor
Average age	49	48
Gender ratio	Male, 55.6% Female, 44.4%	Male, 45.8% Female, 54.2%
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, 5.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 18.6% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	12%	13%

Differences between trauma surgeon and doctor duties and responsibilities

Trauma surgeon example responsibilities.

Manage all incoming medical records requests (ensuring office is within HIPPA guidelines).
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.

Doctor example responsibilities.

Manage conditions including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, hypothyroidism, asthma, and GERD.
Develop personalize treatment plans, rehabilitation plans, exercise plans, report of findings, nutritional plans and narrative reports.
Perform patient x-rays, provide MRI consultations.
Perform x-rays of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine.
Hire, train, educate and monitor staff in HIPPA policies and procedures.
Create, update, and maintain confidential patient EHRs in compliance with all HIPAA laws and regulations.

Trauma surgeon vs doctor skills

Common trauma surgeon skills

Critical Care, 44%
Patient Care, 29%
Trauma Surgery, 20%
Emergency Medicine, 3%
Private Practice, 2%
IV, 1%

Common doctor skills

Patients, 33%
Customer Service, 12%
Emergency Medicine, 5%
Surgery, 5%
DR, 4%
Cleanliness, 3%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Trauma Surgeon
Trauma Surgeon vs Doctor

Updated January 8, 2025

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