MEDICAL SPECIALTY SELECTOR

Surgery - General

General surgery is the basic discipline from which other surgical subspecialties have emerged. Surgery, by definition, deals with diseases or injuries that require operative procedures.

Number of physicians in specialty - Medium, less than 30,000
Competitiveness of residency - High
Years of training required - Five years
Subspecialties/ Fellowships . One or two year fellowship training is available in pediatric surgery, hand surgery, and surgical critical care. Vascular surgery training has two pathways: a five year Integrated Pathway including two years of general surgery training or an Independent Pathway with three formats requiring a total of 6-7 years of training.

Subspecialties in general surgery are distinguished from those surgical areas with separate certification boards (colon and rectal surgery, neurological surgery, obstetrics-gynecology, ophthalmology, orthopaedic surgery, otolaryngology, plastic surgery, thoracic surgery, and urology).

Values & Personality Traits of Physicians in Surgery - General

// Comparison Summary //

Values Match

Specialists Value

Achievement
Decision making
Independence
Taking care of people
Variety

Specialists do not value

Feedback from others
Prestige
Security
Sufficient time off

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

The American College of Surgeons
The American College of Surgeons is dedicated to improving the care of the surgical patient and to safeguarding standards of care in an optimal and ethical practice environment.... MORE >

SDN Surgery Forum
Discuss surgery with your peers on the Student Doctor Network community forums... MORE >

Get the Book

Posted 8.26.13 by evilbooyaa

In How to Choose A Medical Specialty, you'll find helpful information straight from specialists from typical daily schedules to advice for interested students... MORE >