General surgeons perform a wide range of surgery, often in emergency situations, and make up 25% of all consultant surgeons. Show
They experience a highly competitive but hugely rewarding career performing life-changing and life-saving surgery. Life as a general surgeonYou’ll be part of one of the largest surgical specialties and expected to perform a wide range of surgeries involving:
Elective (planned) surgery is an important part of the work but also, you’ll play an important role within emergency departments. Acute abdominal pain is the most common emergency requiring surgery, and you’ll regularly operate for conditions such as appendicitis, hernias and gallstones. Advances in technology have made keyhole surgery (laparoscopic surgery) increasingly commonplace and you’ll use it within general surgery. Most abdominal operations including bowel tumour removal and hernia repair can be carried out using keyhole surgery. You’ll have the opportunity to specialise in keyhole surgery as well as a broad range of sub-specialties. How much can I earn?You’ll first earn a salary when you start your foundation training after medical school. The basic salary ranges from £29,384 to £34,012. Once you start your specialty training as a general surgeon employed by the NHS, you can expect to earn a salary of at least £40,257, which can increase to between £84,559 and £114,003 as a consultant. How about the benefits?
Must-have skills
Entry requirementsYour first step is medical school. Typically, you’ll need excellent GCSEs and three A or A* passes at A level including chemistry for a five-year undergraduate degree in medicine. Many medical schools also ask for biology and others may require maths or physics. If you already have a degree, you could study for a four-year postgraduate degree in medicine. You’ll need to pass an interview and admissions test. You’ll be asked to show how you demonstrate the NHS values such as compassion and respect. Some medical schools look to recruit a mix of students from different backgrounds and geographical areas, so your educational and economic background and family circumstances could be considered as part of your application.
What are my chances of starting a career as a general surgeon?There are approximately 2,571 general surgeons working in the NHS in England. How to become a general surgeonAfter medical school, you’ll join the paid two-year foundation programme where you’ll work in six placements in different settings. After your foundation programme, you can apply for paid specialty training to become a general surgeon, which will take a minimum of eight years. You may be able to train part time, for example for health reasons or if you have family or caring responsibilities. Where a career as a general surgeon can take youSub-specialties within general surgery include:
Specialist training is also provided for advanced trauma surgery (for military surgery and trauma centres) and for remote and rural surgery. |