Activities	Treat diseases, injuries, and deformities by invasive methods, such as manual manipulation or by using instruments and appliances.
Outlook	Faster-than-average-job growth
Median Income	$166,400+ per year in 2008
Work Context & Conditions	Surgeons typically work in well-lit, sterile environments while performing surgery and often stand for long periods.
Minimum Education Requirements	M.D.
Skills	Monitoring, Management of Personnel Resources, Critical Thinking, Operation and Control, Active Listening, Writing, Service Orientation, Equipment Selection, Time Management, Systems Evaluation, Active Learning, Judgment and Decision Making, Coordination, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Science, Systems Analysis
Abilities	Oral Expression, Finger Dexterity, Memorization, Control Precision, Visualization, Category Flexibility, Manual Dexterity, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Deductive Reasoning, Problem Sensitivity, Flexibility of Closure, Written Comprehension, Selective Attention, Near Vision, Information Ordering, Inductive Reasoning, Written Expression
Interviews	Derrick Cox

Job Category		Healthcare Practitioners & Technical
Job Description		Surgeons are physicians who specialize in the treatment of injury, disease, and deformity through operations. Using a variety of instruments, and with patients under general or local anesthesia, a surgeon corrects physical deformities, repairs bone and tissue after injuries, or performs preventive surgeries on patients with debilitating diseases or disorders. Although a large number perform general surgery, many surgeons choose to specialize in a specific area. One of the most prevalent specialties is orthopedic surgery: the treatment of the skeletal system and associated organs. Others include neurological surgery (treatment of the brain and nervous system), ophthalmology (treatment of the eye), orthopedic surgery, otolaryngology (treatment of the ear, nose, and throat), and plastic or reconstructive surgery. Like primary care and other specialist physicians, surgeons also examine patients, perform and interpret diagnostic tests, and counsel patients on preventive health care.
Working Conditions		Surgeons and anesthesiologists typically work in well-lighted, sterile environments while performing surgery and often stand for long periods. Most work in hospitals or in surgical outpatient centers. Many physicians and surgeons work long, irregular hours. Almost one-third of physicians worked 50 hours or more a week in 2008. Physicians and surgeons must travel frequently between office and hospital to care for their patients. Those who are on call deal with many patients’ concerns over the phone and may make emergency visits to hospitals or nursing homes.
Salary Range		In 2008, general surgeons with over one year in their specialty earned $166,400. This amount reflects the amount reported as direct compensation for tax purposes, plus all voluntary salary reductions. Salary, bonus and/or incentive payments, research stipends, honoraria, and distribution of profits were included in total compensation. Self-employed physicians—those who own or are part owners of their medical practice—generally have higher median incomes than salaried physicians. Earnings vary according to number of years in practice, geographic region, hours worked, and skill, personality, and professional reputation. Self-employed physicians and surgeons must provide for their own health insurance and retirement.

Education Required		It takes many years of education and training to become a physician -- 4 years of undergraduate school, 4 years of medical school, and 3 to 8 years of internship and residency, depending on the specialty selected. A few medical schools offer a combined undergraduate and medical school program that lasts 6 years instead of the customary 8 years. The minimum educational requirement for entry into a medical school is 3 years of college; most applicants, however, have at least a bachelor's degree, and many have advanced degrees. Students spend most of the first 2 years of medical school in laboratories and classrooms. During the last 2 years, students work with patients under the supervision of experienced physicians in hospitals and clinics to learn acute, chronic, preventive, and rehabilitative care. Through rotations in internal medicine, family practice, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, and surgery, they gain experience in the diagnosis and treatment of illness. Following medical school, almost all M.D.s enter a residency -- graduate medical education in a specialty that takes the form of paid on-the-job training, usually in a hospital. Prospective physicians must be willing to study throughout their career to keep up with medical advances. They also will need to be flexible to respond to the changing demands of a rapidly evolving health care environment.
Recommended High School Courses		Biology, Chemistry
Postsecondary Instructional Programs		Administration and Management, Chemistry, Biology, Medicine and Dentistry
Certification and Licensing		All states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories license physicians. To be licensed, physicians must graduate from an accredited medical school, pass a licensing examination, and complete 1 to 7 years of graduate medical education. Although physicians licensed in one state can usually get a license to practice in another without further examination, some states limit reciprocity. Graduates of foreign medical schools usually can qualify for licensure after passing an examination and completing a U.S. residency. M.D.s and D.O.s (Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine) seeking board certification in a specialty may spend up to 7 years -- depending on the specialty -- in residency training. A final examination immediately after residency, or after 1 or 2 years of practice, also is necessary for board certification by the American Board of Medical Specialists or the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). There are 24 specialty boards, ranging from allergy and immunology to urology. For certification in a subspecialty, physicians usually need another 1 to 2 years of residency.

Interest Area		Investigative Involves working with ideas and requires an extensive amount of thinking.
Work Values		Social Status Looked up to by others in their company and their community. Achievement Get a feeling of accomplishment. Variety Do something different every day. Social Service Do things for other people. Security Have steady employment. Ability Utilization Make use of individual abilities. Co-workers Have co-workers who are easy to get along with. Activity Busy all the time. Autonomy Plan work with little supervision. Recognition Receive recognition for the work you do. Authority Give directions and instructions to others. Compensation Get paid well in comparison with other workers. Responsibility Make decisions on your own.
Skills		Monitoring Assess how well someone is doing when learning or doing something. Management of Personnel Resources Motivate, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job Critical Thinking Use logic and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches. Operation and Control Control operations of equipment or systems. Active Listening Listen to what other people are saying and ask questions as appropriate. Writing Communicate effectively with others in writing as indicated by the needs of the audience. Service Orientation Actively look for ways to help people. Equipment Selection Determine the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job. Time Management Manage one's own time and the time of others. Systems Evaluation Look at many indicators of system performance, taking into account their accuracy. Active Learning Work with new material or information to grasp its implications. Judgment and Decision Making Be able to weigh the relative costs and benefits of a potential action. Coordination Adjust actions in relation to others' actions. Reading Comprehension Understand written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents. Speaking Talk to others to effectively convey information. Science Use scientific methods to solve problems. Systems Analysis Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Abilities		Oral Expression Able to convey information and ideas through speech in ways that others will understand. Finger Dexterity Able to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects. Memorization Remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures. Control Precision Able to quickly and repeatedly make precise adjustments in moving the controls of a machine or vehicle. Visualization Able to imagine how something will look after it's moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged. Category Flexibility Generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways. Manual Dexterity Able to make quick, coordinated movements of one or two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects. Arm-Hand Steadiness Able to keep the hand and arm steady while making an arm movement or while holding the arm and hand in one position. Deductive Reasoning Able to apply general rules to specific problems to come up with logical answers, including deciding whether an answer makes sense. Problem Sensitivity Able to tell when something is wrong or likely to go wrong. This doesn't involve solving the problem, just recognizing that there is a problem. Flexibility of Closure Identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material. Written Comprehension Able to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. Selective Attention Concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted. Near Vision Able to see details of objects at a close range (within a few feet of the observer). Information Ordering Able to correctly follow rules for arranging things or actions in a certain order, including numbers, words, pictures, procedures, and logical operations. Inductive Reasoning Able to combine separate pieces of information, or specific answers to problems, to form general rules or conclusions. This includes coming up with a logical explanation for why seemingly unrelated events occur together. Written Expression Able to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Related Jobs		Dentist, Chiropractor, Nurse, Registered, Optometrist, Speech-Language Pathologist, Veterinarian, Podiatrist, Technician, Emergency Medical, and Paramedic, Physician Assistant
Job Outlook		Employment of physicians and surgeons is projected to grow faster than average for all occupations through the year 2018 due to continued expansion of health care industries. The growing and aging population will drive overall growth in the demand for physician services, as consumers continue to demand high levels of care using the latest technologies, diagnostic tests, and therapies. In addition to employment growth, job openings will result from the need to replace physicians and surgeons who retire over the 2008-18 period. Demand for physicians’ services is highly sensitive to changes in consumer preferences, health care reimbursement policies, and legislation. For example, if changes to health coverage result in consumers facing higher out-of-pocket costs, they may demand fewer physician services. Opportunities for individuals interested in becoming physicians and surgeons are expected to be very good. Reports of shortages in some specialties or geographic areas should attract new entrants, encouraging schools to expand programs and hospitals to expand available residency slots. However, because physician training is so lengthy, employment change happens gradually. In the short term, to meet increased demand, experienced physicians may work longer hours, delay retirement, or take measures to increase productivity, such as using more support staff to provide services. Opportunities should be particularly good in rural and low-income areas, because some physicians find these areas unattractive due to lower earnings potential, isolation from medical colleagues, or other reasons. Unlike their predecessors, newly trained physicians face radically different choices of where and how to practice. New physicians are much less likely to enter solo practice and more likely to take salaried jobs in group medical practices, clinics, and health networks. Physicians and surgeons held about 661,400 jobs in 2008; approximately 1 out of 7 was self-employed and not incorporated. About 50 percent of salaried physicians and surgeons were in office of physicians, and 16 percent were employed by private hospitals. Others practiced in Federal, State, and local government; educational services; and outpatient care centers. A growing number of physicians are partners or salaried employees of group practices. Organized as clinics or as associations of physicians, medical groups can afford expensive medical equipment and realize other business advantages. The New England and Middle Atlantic States have the highest ratio of physicians to population; the South Central States have the lowest. D.O.s are more likely than M.D.s to practice in small cities and towns and in rural areas. M.D.s tend to locate in urban areas, close to hospital and education centers.
More Information		Association of American Colleges and Universities, American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, American Osteopathic Association, American Medical Association, American College of Surgeons
References		Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, Physicians and Surgeons, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos074.htm O*NET OnLine, on the Internet at http://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/29-1067.00