The job description for surgeons varies depending on what environment they are practicing in. Many surgeons find themselves in a multifaceted career that allows them to put their skills to good use in a combination of workplace settings. Although the workplace settings may vary, one factor remains the same: the surgical profession is one of responsibility and leadership. The surgeon is responsible for the preoperative diagnosis of the patient, for performing the operation, and for providing the patient with postoperative surgical care and treatment. The surgeon is also looked upon as the leader of the surgical team.
During the course of an operation, the surgeon must make important decisions about the patient's health, safety, and welfare. Furthermore, the surgeon must work to ensure cooperation among the other members of the surgical team, which typically includes another surgeon or qualified person who acts as the surgeon's assistant, the anesthesiologist, and operating room nurses.
There are seven major settings in which surgeons can put their education, training, and skills to valuable use: private practice, academic medicine, institutional practice, hospitals, ambulatory surgery settings, government service programs, and the uniformed services.
