What is a General Surgeon?

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A general surgeon is a specialist certified surgeon who has been educated and trained in the diagnosis and preoperative, operative and postoperative management of patients with conditions that affect the following systems:

  • Gastrointestinal tract

  • Abdomen and its contents, including the pelvis

  • Breast, skin and soft tissue

  • Endocrine system

Surgery requires a mastery of concepts that include knowledge of anatomy, emergency and critical care medicine, immunology, metabolism, nutrition, pathology, physiology, shock and resuscitation, and wound healing.

The general surgeon is trained to provide surgical care for the whole patient that encompass disciplines including:

  • Breast and Endocrine Surgery

  • Colorectal Surgery

  • Critical Care and Trauma

  • Oesophago-gastric Surgery

  • Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery

  • Surgical Oncology

Profile of a General Surgeon

Owing to the broadness of the discipline, a general surgeon understands key concepts of all general surgical disciplines. This qualification allows the general surgeon to manage a wide variety of ailments, from gastrointestinal problems, endocrine surgery and cancer surgery.

General surgeons set the standard of surgical care in a community, choosing procedures that we feel most competent and comfortable with to provide services for patients. 

General Surgeon vs. Sub-specialialty Surgeon

The training and development of a general surgeon evolves during the years of structured surgical training to when they are in consultant practice. Some trainees who graduate as general surgeons may take an interest in only a specific discipline of general surgery, and decide to sub-specialize.

Sub-specialty surgeons work in highly specific areas offering procedures that may not be routinely performed in general hospitals.

In today’s environment of sub-specialization, a general surgeon is of tremendous value to the patient and their families and the general practitioner. General surgery affords broad, yet often very specialized training in all disciplines of surgery and medicine that will help you achieve your goal of better health.