Surgeon

In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. A modern surgeon is a licensed physician and receives the same medical training as physicians before specialising in surgery.

As well as performing surgery on patients, they also work with a range of other health professionals including anaesthetist, nurses and operating department practitioners.

Role Characteristics

Knowledge of medicine and dentistry
Ability to work well with others
Write reports and prepare paperwork
Ability to work well with your hands
Work with other health and care professions as part of a team, either in the same department or within other specialities

Skills

Active listening
Advice giving
Attention to detail
Communication
Decision-making
Working under pressure
Team work

Day in the life

In this role you could:

meet the patient before the operation to decide on the best course of action
explain the procedures and risk
carry out ward rounds, take tests and arrange X-rays
carry out operations with a team of people
write to GPs about your patients’ conditions and treatments

Routes into this role

Here are some example routes that can lead into this role.

GCSEs

A-Levels

Undergraduate degree

Postgraduate degree

How to become

To become a surgeon you'll need to complete a degree in medicine recognised by the General Medical Council, a 2-year foundation programme of general training, core surgical training in a hospital which takes 2 years and specialist training which can take up to 6 years.

A medical degree normally takes 5 years to complete. Some courses have the option to include an extra year if you want to study a subject further. This is called an intercalated year.

You might be able to study a foundation year before starting a medical degree. This will depend on your circumstances or if you have not studied enough sciences. Check with the admissions department where you want to study.

If you already have a degree, you could take a 4-year graduate entry route into medicine. There’s lots of competition and entry requirements vary, so check with the admissions department where you want to study.

To practice as a Surgeon, you must be registered with the General Medical Council (GMC)

Where can this role lead

With experience you could:

Become a senior or consultant surgeon, once you're on the General Medical Council Specialist Register
Lead a team or manage a department
Move into teaching students, trainee doctors and other healthcare professionals