A surgeon is a type of medical doctor who specializes in operating on patients to treat illness and injury. Surgery can range from minor procedures like stitching a small wound to major procedures like opening a patient to replace an essential organ.
It is not an easy road for doctors to learn how to perform surgery. Before being declared ready to perform on a live human being, thousands of hours of intense study and practice are required. After completing high school, the average time it takes to become a surgeon is about twelve years.
The typical path to becoming a surgeon begins with a biological sciences-focused undergraduate education. Medical school applicants must take several biology and physiology courses, as well as organic chemistry and basic physics. Students who are interested in learning how to perform surgery often enroll in electives that focus on anatomy in depth. Volunteer work is typically done in one’s spare time, and internships can be done during the summer. As a result, even before starting graduate school, a potential surgeon becomes familiar with the hospital environment, ensuring that they will have less to adjust to once they begin their studies in earnest.
Graduate medical schools in the United States and most European countries are extremely competitive, with surgical training being one of the most sought-after specialties in an already crowded field. The MCAT is a standardized test used medical schools in the United States (Medical College Admissions Test).
Medical students spend the first two years of their education in classes that are similar to but more challenging than their undergraduate education. They begin learning procedural information, such as how to take case histories and make diagnoses, in addition to delving deeper into subjects they have already begun studying. Most schools also allow students who are interested in surgery to operate on human cadavers in order to gain a better understanding of the procedure.
The last two years of medical school are taught in a manner that is more akin to an apprenticeship than a traditional classroom setting. Students gain hands-on experience in the field working with real patients while being observed experienced surgeons. Medical students are required to rotate through other fields, such as pediatrics, internal medicine, and obstetrics, in addition to their area of focus, to gain a more holistic understanding of the medical world they will be working in.
A doctor’s residency begins after graduation from medical school. The doctor is paid during their residency and works in an actual hospital, operating on real patients. They work under the watchful eye of directors who observe their work, and this time is used to hone the skills they’ve acquired during their formal education. Finally, all of your hard work learning how to perform surgery has paid off.
Residencies can last anywhere from two to six years, after which the surgeon is ready to practice independently, either as a full surgeon at the hospital where they completed their residency or in a different setting. The path to becoming a surgeon is difficult but rewarding for those who want to pursue it.