Surgery
The development in modern surgery has reached to the high level nowadays. Therefore, the surgeons can acquire vast knowledge and technical skills that are required to be specialised in particular areas, such as anatomical area of the body or a particular technique or type of patient (RCSENG, 2022). Surgeons should have knowledge of anatomy, emergency and intensive care, immunology, metabolism, nutrition, pathology, physiology, shock and resuscitation, and wound healing (CAGS, 2022).
What is General Surgery?
There are different areas of surgery. General surgery covers a wide-ranging area of surgery with many subspecialties.
What do general surgeons do?
A general surgeon is a medical doctor who has advanced education and training in the diagnosis, preoperative, operative, and postoperative management of patient care and the whole patient (CAGS, 2022). The general surgeons have a wide range of knowledge and skills thar are required to perform all kinds of surgical emergencies, especially acute abdominal problems. They also carry out a large number of elective operations. They can play a significant role in remote or rural settings, because they have a broad range of competence, knowledge and skills. In trauma services they deal with injuries to the abdomen and chest.
The general surgeon conducts the following surgical treatment (CAGS, 2022):
- alimentary tract,
- abdomen and its contents, including the pelvis breast,
- skin and soft tissue, and
- endocrine system.
It also includes
- head and neck surgery,
- pediatric surgery,
- surgical critical care,
- surgical oncology,
- trauma and burns,
- transplants and
- vascular surgery.
Working location and their job profile
The job activities of a general surgeon’s practice are variable that depend on their job location, such as an academic centre, an urban community or a more rural centre.
- In rural practice, some surgeons may do gynecologic, urologic, orthopedic and ENT surgeries.
- In some academic centres, a general surgeon might limit his/her practice to one subspecialty.
Sub-specialties
General surgery includes a range of sub-specialties as below (RCSENG, 2022):
- Breast – assessment of the breast symptoms, and surgery on breast cancers, often including reconstructive procedures that do not require plastic surgeons.
- Colorectal – surgery for diseases of the colon, rectum and anal canal, particularly cancer of the rectum.
- Endocrine – surgery for disease of the thyroid and other endocrine glands.
- Upper Gastrointestinal – surgery for diseases affecting the liver, oesophagus and stomach. This also covers obesity surgery.
- Major operations for cancer are usually done in regional specialist units.
- Transplant – kidney and liver transplantation including many other organs.
- Military surgeons, who are trained particularly on trauma and emergency surgery.
- The majority of simple operations on children.
References
RCSENG, 2022. General Surgery. The Royal College of Surgeons of England. Last accessed on 10/11/2022. URL: https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/careers-in-surgery/trainees/foundation-and-core-trainees/surgical-specialties/general-surgery/
General Surgery.
The Canadian Association of General Surgeons (CAGS), 2022. What is a General Surgeon? Last accessed on 10/11/2022. Url: https://cags-accg.ca/patient-care/what-is-a-general-surgeon/