What Does a Surgeon Do?

A surgeon is a physician who specializes in surgery, a medical specialty which involves cutting into patients to diagnose, treat, and cure diseases and medical conditions. Surgery is a very ancient field in the practice of medicine, although until the development of anesthetics, it was not very pretty to watch or very safe for the patients. Modern surgeons work in a wide range of specialties within the surgical field, including neurosurgery, orthopedics, cardiothoracic surgery, obstetrics, plastic surgery, and otolaryngology. The tasks that a surgeon performs vary, depending on the specialty in which he or she is employed. As a general rule, surgeons meet with patients after they are referred by primary care physicians who recognize the need for surgery to treat emergent conditions. Patients may also seek out surgeons for elective procedures like plastic surgery. Some surgeons may choose to work in emergency surgery, staffing emergency rooms so that a surgeon is always available to tre ... more

that must be treated by surgery. A surgeon is a medical doctor who specializes in performing operations. ... more