Being a surgeon is one of the most respectable professions. The highly skilled procedures, extensive knowledge, and a sense of saving lives, makes this profession a really great one. One has to have a complete mastery over some essential qualities to become a really good surgeon. In the following CareerStint article, the salaries of these professionals have been discussed.
No sarcasm or offense to any person’s ambitions or dreams, but anyone who wants to become a surgeon, for the hefty paycheck, well, not recommended. In such case, the probability of failure in qualifying as a surgeon is quite high.
Once a surgery teacher, in a speech, commented that there are three qualities that a person needs to have, in order to become a great surgeon, one, lovely fingers, two, a passion to study medicine and the human body, and three, an aptitude to analyze, assess, figure out, study, and reach an unbeaten and unchallenged conclusion, with regards to a said medical situation, within a matter of seconds.
Overall, it is tough to become a qualified surgeon, and moreover, it is even more difficult to be a good one after you have passed out from surgery school.
Scope of Surgery
What makes a surgeon’s job different from a general physician or a specialist? The answer is simple. In the field of medicine, a surgeon is principally an expert in invasive treatment of the human body. A general physician or a specialist makes an external diagnosis, and gives an external treatment. A surgeon, on the other hand, cuts open the body, to repair the damage.
Their skill is so sharp and keen that the cutting open of the body to repair any damaged organ is so intricate, that the remaining organs and the rest of the body, remain in a normal state, undisturbed and functioning perfectly naturally. Hence, a surgeon is a doctor with accurate skills and knowledge. They are the greatest experts on some specified organs and parts of the human body.
Salary as Per Specialty
Every surgeon has some or the other specialty. The human body is so complicated that it is a near to impossible for a surgeon to focus on multiple body parts and organs. Hence those who have specialized in a single field such as a cardiac surgeon can perform any surgical procedure that is related to the heart, or an orthopedic surgeon can perform a procedure on any bones in the body. The general rule of thumb is that the more complex the surgery procedure, more is the salary. There are several ways in which the specializations are classified. Following are some inputs.
General Surgery
The general surgery refers to the surgeons who perform on generalized ailments, that are not exactly relative to one certain organ, but they tend to have knowledge of one surgical procedure for example, plastic surgery, transplant surgery, or skin surgery. In detailed procedures, general surgeons function in collaboration with senior and more experienced professionals who have studied one specified organ or system. Their average salary ranges from $291,000 to $520,000, depending upon skill, experience, and reputation.
Cardiovascular and Cardiac Surgery
The cardiovascular surgery is the surgery related to heart. Some cardiovascular surgeons start off as general surgeons, and then upgrade to cardiovascular procedures. Some study cardiovascular surgery right from the start. Their salary spans out from $558,000 to $852,000.
Vascular Surgery
The surgery dealing in the procedures of artery and veins, is known as a vascular surgery. This kind of surgery is closely related with cardiac and cardiovascular surgeries. Cardiovascular and vascular surgeons often work in collaboration. $329,000 to $629,000, is the average range of their salary.
Urology
The field of urology is a prominent example where an entire system is studied, in this case the urinary system or the urinary tract. Urologists, who are surgeons, earn about $358,000 to $619,000.
Dermatology
This is the field of medicine and surgery that deals with the human skin. Dermatologists often closely work with plastic surgeons. Their salary ranges from $308,000 to $452,000.
Plastic Surgery
Plastic surgeons deal with reconstruction of certain human body parts, such as skin, certain bones, external or superficial muscles, etc. Their average salary ranges from $412,000 to $820,000.
Orthopedic Surgery
These surgeons are specialists in human bones and the skeleton. They are highly paid earning up to about $459,000 to $1,352,000. However, neurosurgeons earn more than that.
The usual career path that most professionals take, is to study and specialize as certain surgeons, following which, they work as general surgeons for some years under the mentor-ship of senior surgeons, before developing a highly specialized surgical procedure.