Introduction
A doctor who specializes in surgery is known as a surgeon. Surgeons are required to perform operations or surgeries to treat patients suffering from injuries, deformities, or diseases. A person can either become a general surgeon or obtain specialization in any particular field like cardiovascular, plastic surgery, orthopedic, neurological, etc. Needless, a surgeon is required to have in-depth medical knowledge along with this knowledge, a surgeon is also required to possess great stamina as some of the surgeries can be tedious as well as dexterity and precision.
Educational Qualifications
Firstly, a person is required to obtain an MBBS degree from any university recognized by the MCI. However, for MBBS, a person has to pass the 10+2 level examination with at least 60%, and Physics, Biology, and Chemistry are the compulsory subjects. Then, a person has to appear for NEET and a person gets college as per the ranking in this entrance exam.
For practicing as a general surgeon, an MS degree in General Surgery is necessary. If a person wishes to get specialization in any particular field, then he/she can obtain a Master of Chirurgical or M.Ch degree from any institute approved by the MCI. The Master of Chirurgical is three years and candidates who go for acquiring this degree work as full-time residents during their training period. They also take part in the surgeries and a person has several options available with him or her to specialize in. A person may choose to specialize in his or her area of interest and passion.
Some of the top colleges to pursue a career as a surgeon are Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh; CMC Vellore, Vellore; AIIMS Delhi, Delhi; D Y Patil University, Navi Mumbai; Armed Forces Medical College, Pune; Pt. Bhagwat Dayal Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical; Neigrihms, Shillong; Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow; B J Medical College, Ahmedabad; etc.
Types of job roles
- Oral and maxillofacial surgery– This is the surgery of the neck and face. It includes a variety of surgeries such as facial trauma management, correcting the facial deformity, etc. ranging from minor surgeries to complex ones.
- Urology– This constitutes treating the bladder, ureters, urethra, and kidney that is the urogenital system.
- Cardiothoracic surgery– It consists of treating diseases that are related to the heart, lungs, chest, and esophagus. It involves a wide range of surgeries, some of which are popular these days such as heart transplantation and heart failure surgery, cardiac surgery, congenital surgery, thoracic surgery, esophageal surgery, etc.
- Orthopedic surgery– It basically deals with soft tissues like muscles, ligaments, muscles, joints, and bones. The demand for orthopedists is high.
- Neurosurgery– This consists of surgeries related to the brain like skull base surgery, pediatric neurosurgery, spinal surgery, etc.
- Obstetrics and Gynecology– It mainly deals with treating diseases, abnormalities, and deformities related to the female reproductive system like taking care of pregnant patients, delivering babies, etc.
- Vascular surgery– It is concerned with surgeries that are related to veins and arteries. Some of the common ones include angioplasty, lower limb bypass surgery, etc.
Job opportunities
As a surgeon, there are various career avenues available such as visiting surgeons at other hospitals, government hospitals, private and multispecialty hospitals. Some of the top recruiting hospitals for surgeons in India are Max Healthcare and Super Specialty Hospital, Apollo Hospitals Group, Fortis Bangalore, Sri Ramakrishna Multi-Specialty Hospital, Jaypee Hospital Noida, Narayana Health, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, etc.
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The salary of a surgeon is good. For a general surgeon at an entry-level is around Rs 9,71,000. After gaining few years of experience that is, generally with 5-10 years of work, salary comes to around Rs 11,71,000 and for an experienced general surgeon having at least 20 years of experience, salary comes to around Rs. 33,00,000
Conclusion
Anyone who is passionate about saving other people’s lives and wants to do something challenging every day must give a thought to becoming a surgeon. Though the life of a surgeon is not an easy one as they must be prepared to give in long hours of work and thereby sacrifice their physical, emotional and psychological health. A sense of responsibility must prevail among the surgeons as their one small mistake can lead to someone losing their life. One’s commitments might take a back seat as a surgeon is expected to be available for his or her patient at any point in time.
Whenever there is an emergency, one has to put their profession before their issues. However, if one is truly passionate about this career and is ready to make such sacrifices, the job satisfaction that one can get from being a surgeon and saving lives is immense.
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