Career profile · SOC 29-1248

Surgeons, Except Ophthalmologists

Operate on patients to treat injuries, diseases, and deformities. Includes general surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, cardiovascular surgeons, and other surgical specialists.

Median salary
$239,200
per year
Growth outlook
Slower Than Average
BLS 10-yr
Education
Doctoral or professional degree
AI exposure
2.6/10
automation risk

Salary distribution (US)

Real salary data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The p10–p90 spread tells you more than the median alone.

Bottom 10%
$80,390
25th %ile
$170,900
Median
$239,200
75th %ile
$239,200
Top 10%
$239,200

Top skills

Critical Thinking Complex Problem Solving Judgment and Decision Making Active Learning Active Listening Speaking Science Monitoring Coordination Reading Comprehension

Knowledge you'll build

  • Medicine and Dentistry
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • English Language
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Psychology
  • Education and Training
  • Administration and Management

A day in the life

Your alarm goes off before dawn as you head to the hospital for pre-operative rounds, reviewing scans, lab work, and surgical plans with your team. The morning is spent in the operating room, making precise incisions, navigating delicate anatomy, and working in concert with anesthesiologists and scrub nurses through procedures that can last anywhere from thirty minutes to twelve hours. Between surgeries you check on post-op patients, dictate operative notes, and consult with other specialists about complex cases. The stakes are as high as they get in medicine—one steady hand can mean the difference between life and death—and the combination of physical skill and quick decision-making makes it one of the most demanding and rewarding careers.

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