Repairing injuries… preventing disease… even transplanting organs: surgeons are literally on the “cutting edge” of medicine. Unless it’s an emergency situation, the surgeon meets with the patient and listens to the problem. The doctor does an examination and considers medical history, lab work and other possible treatments before deciding on the need for surgery. Possessing that famous "good bedside manner" can help in explaining the diagnosis, the risks of the operation, and the patient's responsibilities before and after the procedure. In the operating room, the surgeon is assisted by an entire team. They handle preparation, monitoring and other tasks, so that the surgeon can concentrate on the delicate work involved in operating. Besides extensive medical knowledge, being a surgeon requires exacting precision, dexterity and stamina. Some procedures take hours to perform. After the surgery is over, the surgeon checks patients to see how they are recovering. Emergencies may result in the surgeon being called at any hour of the day or night. Surgeons may manage a busy private practice, or conduct research. They keep detailed records on patients and often write reports. Some develop new surgical techniques that they teach to other surgeons or students. This career requires a significant investment of education. Surgeons tackle a four year bachelor’s degree, followed by four years of medical school, then 5-8 years post-medical school training depending on the surgical specialty. Surgeons make up America's single largest group of medical specialists. Few people come closer to actually holding someone's life in their hands than surgeons do.
What they do:
Physicians who treat diseases, injuries, and deformities by invasive, minimally-invasive, or non-invasive surgical methods, such as using instruments, appliances, or by manual manipulation.
On the job, you would:
Follow established surgical techniques during the operation.
Examine patient to obtain information on medical condition and surgical risk.
Operate on patients to correct deformities, repair injuries, prevent and treat diseases, or improve or restore patients' functions.
Health
medicine and dentistry
therapy and counseling
Business
customer service
human resources (HR)
Arts and Humanities
English language
Math and Science
biology
Basic Skills
listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem
Problem Solving
noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
People and Technology Systems
thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it
Verbal
communicate by speaking
listen and understand what people say
Hand and Finger Use
hold or move items with your hands
put together small parts with your fingers
Ideas and Logic
notice when problems happen
use rules to solve problems
Attention
pay attention to something without being distracted
People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out.
They do well at jobs that need:
Attention to Detail
Stress Tolerance
Concern for Others
Dependability
Integrity
Initiative
You might use software like this on the job:
Medical software
Epic Systems
MEDITECH software
Graphics or photo imaging software
Computer imaging software
Operating system software
Microsoft Windows
doctoral degree or post-doctoral training usually needed
Get started on your career:
New job opportunities are less likely in the future.
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