Orthopedic Surgeon Job Description

Surgery job is one of the most rewarding and renowned career in the medical field. Becoming a surgeon comes with a huge bulk of responsibilities as this career entails no room for mistakes.

What is an orthopedic surgeon?

Orthopedic surgeons are physicians with specialization in treating health problems that are associated to the musculoskeletal system. Bones, muscles, joints, tendons, nerves and ligaments are parts of the musculoskeletal system.

Duties of an orthopedic surgeon

• Orthopedic surgeons perform surgery and examinations on the musculoskeletal system of the human body. They use surgical as well as nonsurgical procedures in order to treat broken bones, dislocations, infections, trauma, diseases and injuries. They also perform many musculoskeletal reconstructions.
• An orthopedic surgeon is responsible in providing care to orthopedic patients, performing medical examinations, planning for appropriate treatments and monitoring the patient’s progress.
• Orthopedic surgeons can also be assisted with a doctor’s assistant who operates various procedures under their close supervision. An orthopedic surgeon provides consultation services to other medical professionals and manages the entire orthopedic facility or department in order to make sure that the department is compliant with the state, local and federal regulation.
• The job of an orthopedic surgeon entails lots of activities and work plans that require diagnosing, examining and treating skeletal diseases. Surgeons should make sure that they properly locate orthopedic problems of their patient’s body, make a plan in order to treat it and work proactively on the plan so as to eliminate the injury or disease.
• If treatment and medications plans do not work, an orthopedic surgeon performs surgery or replacements on the affected body part through the use of corrective equipments such as casts, splints and braces.

Condition of Work

Orthopedic surgeons work within medical or healthcare facilities such as hospitals, surgery centers and medical clinics. There are also orthopedic surgeons that work as entrepreneurs and establish their own medical facility and practice their profession alone or in a team of physicians as cooperative.

Educational Requirements

In order to become orthopedic surgeons, aspiring candidates should first become a medical doctor and should complete a postgraduate medical training in an orthopedic field. Candidates should successfully pass the state board exam in order to obtain a license or certificate to practice medicine.

Occupation and Progress

According to US Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the salary range for orthopedic surgeons is about $405,448 per annum with compensation and benefits. Job prospects for general practitioner still remains great.