What Does a Surgeon Do?
A surgeon is a physician who specializes in surgery, a medical specialty which involves cutting into patients to diagnose, treat, and cure diseases and medical conditions. Surgery is a very ancient field in the practice of medicine, although until the development of anesthetics, it was not very pretty to watch or very safe for the patients. Modern surgeons work in a wide range of specialties within the surgical field, including neurosurgery, orthopedics, cardiothoracic surgery, obstetrics, plastic surgery, and otolaryngology.
The tasks that a surgeon performs vary, depending on the specialty in which he or she is employed. As a general rule, surgeons meet with patients after they are referred by primary care physicians who recognize the need for surgery to treat emergent conditions. Patients may also seek out surgeons for elective procedures like plastic surgery. Some surgeons may choose to work in emergency surgery, staffing emergency rooms so that a surgeon is always available to treat emergent conditions resulting from serious injuries. In emergency surgery, surgeons quickly step in to treat serious emergent conditions, communicating with the family and friends of the patient as the surgery progresses to keep them updated.
When a surgeon meets a patient in a less critical situation, the surgeon discusses the patient's case with his or her primary care physician and talks to the patient about options. For example, a patient might have broken a bone in a way which requires surgical correction. The surgeon meets with the patient's doctor to discuss the situation, talks to the patient about the procedure and answers questions, and then performs the surgery. After the surgery, the surgeon will keep an eye on the patient's recovery to make sure that the surgery was successful, and he or she may network with other health care professionals like physical therapists to help the patient recover.
Surgeons are part of larger teams. In the operating room, they rely on an anesthesiologist to keep the patient asleep and stable. Surgical nurses assist the surgeon by monitoring the surgical site, passing the surgeon tools as required, and performing other tasks. Surgeons may also work with other surgeons, and in a teaching hospital they will work with interns and residents, showing them how to perform surgical procedures.
Working conditions for a surgeon can be very challenging, depending on what field the surgeon works in. Many surgeons work very long hours, because a surgery can run over when unexpected events occur. They spend long hours on their feet in the operating room, and they are expected to work with a wide range of health care professionals to ensure that their surgical procedures run smoothly. Compensation in this field of medicine varies; neurosurgeons, for example, tend to command a high rate of pay because of their complex and delicate work, while general surgeons make less money, although they are every bit as important.
Written by S.E. Smith
