Health is one of the primary concerns of people nowadays; as there are many factors that affect our health, the public becomes more conscious about it. One of the vital fields in medicine is surgery. This can be a very complicated field because there is a lot of risk that entails each procedure.
If you are thinking of becoming a General Surgeon, here is some information that you need to know to become one.
What is a General Surgeon?
A General Surgeon is a physician who uses different surgical instruments to treat a range of patients who have different illness. They assess patients and also interpret the different diagnostic tests that are performed. They have acquired the advance training that is needed and have the license to perform surgery.
Duties of a General Surgeon
- A General Surgeon studies the medical history of a patient. This is to ensure that the patient don’t have allergies with the drugs that is to be administered. After assessing the condition of a patient, the surgeon would have to decide the procedure to be done.
- General Surgeons should make sure that all the surgical instruments that will be used for the procedure is prepared before they start the surgery. They also have to inform their client and the family about the procedure to be done, the benefits and the risks that the client has to face.
- A General Surgeon is the one who manages and schedules the surgery. They also make a case history and follow-up the condition of the patient after the surgery. They make important decisions during surgery depending on the condition of the patient.
- General Surgeons perform a variety of procedures except those that are complicated like operations of the heart and the brain. They must have excellent motor skills since they will be using surgical instruments.
Work Condition of a General Surgeon
- General Surgeons cater a variety of patients with different health conditions. They usually work in a sterile environment which is located in major operating rooms of hospitals or in out-patient operating rooms. There are also minor surgeries that they have to perform in their clinics where medical asepsis is only required.
- Most surgeons work more than fifty hours per week. There are lengthy surgeries that they have to perform so they usually stand for hours. These General Surgeons also have to travel to different hospitals to treat their clients. Most of them would be on call since there are times when emergency surgery is required.
Educational Requirements of a General Surgeon
For one to become a surgeon, he has to study in medical school for six to eight years. But before this they need to have three to four years undergraduate studies. Being admitted to medical school can be competitive. One must submit recommendation letters and transcripts. They will spend four years in medical school; the first two years will be at school where they discuss a number of subject then the last two years will be in the clinical setting. After that they will take a licensure examination.
Occupation and Progress of a General Surgeon
A General Surgeon is one of the highest paid professionals in the medical field. The demand for these physicians is expected to grow in the coming years this because of the aging population and because of environmental factors that affects the health of the public. It was said that there is a declining rate of people who goes to medical school but these schools are increasing the number of admission because of the demand for this surgeons.