General Surgeon Salary

Surgeons are the doctors who have taken the advanced training as well as have obtained the requisite license to perform operations on the bodies of patients in order to treat diseases, repair injuries, correct the deformities and to improve the general health of the patients. Besides carrying on the surgical operations, surgeons examine the patients, study the diagnostic tests and then arrive upon a suitable procedure for treating the patient's specific health condition. While carrying on the surgeries, the surgeons use a wide number of surgical instruments. So, if the job profile of this medical job interests you, read on to know the education and experience required to enter this field, along with the annual salary.

How to Become a Surgeon

As the salary of a surgeon is pretty high, this makes it one of the most lucrative fields to enter. To become a surgeon, the preparation should start at the school level itself. You should have mastery over the concepts in science subjects like physics, biology and chemistry. After finishing your high school, you need to take admission in a four-year bachelor's degree. Your majors should be in science subjects like physics or biology. During your college years, take up part-time jobs in the medical field as such an experience helps in getting admission in a medical school. Also, participate in extra-curricular activities as medical schools prefer candidates with a well rounded personality. In addition to this, you have to score well in the Medical College Admission Test i.e. MCAT, if you want to take admission in a medical college which is ranked high by the AAMC i.e. Association of American Medical Colleges.

The study at the medical college is of four years. In the first two years, you will be given theoretical knowledge about the human anatomy, pathology and many other topics. In the years following that, you will get the opportunity to undergo clinical training under experienced surgeons in hospitals and clinics. After you complete your graduation, a five year residency in a hospital under an experienced surgeon is required. Residency or internship is like an on the job training whose experience will help you immensely.

The last thing required is the license to practice. For this you need to take up the United States Medical Licensing Exam, or USMLE. For becoming a general surgeon, this is the only license required, however those who are seeking specialization, have to clear additional exams.

Salary Range

If you look at the current estimates, the average salary is somewhere in the range of $150,000 to $285000 for beginners. This variation in salaries depends upon a number of factors such as where the surgeon is employed - in a hospital or a trust or in a college/university. Then some states such as New York, California, Florida and Texas pay higher than others. The type of degree a surgeon has had, also creates this difference in salaries. A surgeon with an experience of more than ten years can expect anywhere between $589,581 to $1,017,365. The salary can even go as high as $1,238,700 for those with more than twenty years of experience in the industry.

If you look at the job market researches, it is estimated that there will be a huge demand for surgeons in the coming decade. A lot of this has to do with the growing aging population in America. Owing to this great demand, many medical schools have increased their enrollments as well, so this makes it the right time to enter this profession. Once you become a general surgeon, you can always upgrade your skills or specialize in a particular field for advancing your career. Research and teaching in universities are some other avenues of employment, besides hospitals and private practice, that you have.