General Surgeon: What are They?
General Surgeons are doctors that perform most of the common surgery operations. They are trained to take care of a patient by all the necessary ways and needs. They have skills, knowledge and training for preoperative, operative and postoperative care. They also can manage and diagnose a variety of diseases and health problems.
General surgeons are called family doctors, as they can address almost all the health issues and a person can take general health advice from them from time to time.
General surgery is one of 14 surgical specialties recognized by the American College of Surgeons.
What Actually Does a General Surgeon Do?
General surgeons have studied a wide range of body organs and parts and have surgical knowledge and training for diagnose, surgical invasion and operative care needs for various types of health problems and illness or diseases. The spectrum of their working is wide and they can give advice and treat almost every body part issues and problems.
A general surgeon can perform various of surgeries which includes:-
- Anti-reflux surgery (Nissen fundoplication)
- Appendix removal (appendectomy)
- Bariatric (weight loss) surgery
- Breast surgery
- Exploratory surgery (laparotomy or laparoscopy)
- Gallbladder removal (cholecystectomy)
- Hernia repair surgery
- Prostate removal (prostatectomy)
- Spleen removal (splenectomy)
- Uterus removal (hysterectomy)
A general surgeon nowadays have training and experience with two major methods of surgery, which are:-
1. Endoscopy- In this method of surgery, there is no need to cut through cells or tissues to perform a surgery instead there is a use of endoscope, which is a long, narrow and flexible tube with a small camera attached to the one end. Thus, endoscopy is a non- invasive procedure or method.
The endoscope, with the end where the camera is installed then enters in the body through main openings of the body that is either through mouth or through anus. The camera captures whatever is present there and a surgery is performed with the help of the video the camera captures.
It includes surgeries like:
- Removing polyps or tumors (polypectomy)
- Removing tissue samples (biopsy)
- Cutting into a clenched muscle to release it (myotomy)
2. Laparoscopic surgery- This one is an invasive surgical technique. In this a surgeon reaches or accesses the organ or the region of the body where the surgery is needed to be performed by making half an inch long incisions called “keyhole”. The surgeon then places a type of endoscope called a laparoscope in the region where incisions are made and then operates on it with the help of what the camera captures or records.
It includes surgeries like:
- Appendectomy (for appendicitis)
- Cholecystectomy(for gallstones)
- Gastric bypass surgery (a weight loss procedure)
Education: The Hard Work it Takes to Become a General Surgeon-
General surgeons are certified doctors first as they had completed 4 years of medical school and earned a medical degree. Then to become official legal surgeons, they need to complete at least five more years in a progressive surgical residency program. After that, to become a certified, practicing general surgeon, he/she needs to pass two board exams, out of which one is a General Surgery Qualifying Examination and other is a General Surgery Certifying Examination. On qualifying both the exams, a doctor becomes a licensed and certified general surgeon.
What Body Organs and Problems a General Surgeon Study About?
- The gastrointestinal tract
- The abdominal and pelvic organs
- Breasts, skin and soft tissues
- Head and neck
- Cardiovascular system
- Endocrine system
- Surgical oncology
- Trauma
- Critical care and emergency surgeries
What are the Surgeries and Health Issues a General Surgeon Could Address?
- Traumatic injuries
- Physical abnormalities
- Breast cancer
- Conditions involving upper GI tract
- Conditions involving biliary tract
- Endocrine conditions
- Vascular conditions
- Critical illness and terminal illness.
Frequently Asked Questions-
Are general surgeons and physicians the same?
A physician is the one who completed general medicine study and is a licensed doctor but cannot perform any surgery or is certified for the same.
A general surgeon is the one who can address a wide range of health issues, diagnose them and can even perform surgery for them.
Are pediatric surgeons and general surgeons the same?
This goes by a line “All pediatric surgeons are general surgeons, but not all general surgeons are pediatric surgeons.”
A pediatric surgeon is the one who has completed additional training and is certified in treating and doing surgeries on children. They, along with medical degree and training for general surgery, have an additional certification as a children doctor and surgeon, while on the other hand, a general surgeon has only a medical degree and a training compilation certification with medical license.
When to visit a general surgeon?
When your physician suggests that you are having a health problem that can’t be fixed by general medicine and care and non- surgical ways can’t treat you fully, then it is time to take the physician’s advice seriously and visit a well experienced and professionally trained general surgeon near you.
What surgical methods can a general surgeon use during surgery?
A general surgeon can perform both Endoscopy and Laparoscopic surgeries.
