A general surgeon is a physician who has been educated and trained in the diagnosis and preoperative, operative, and postoperative management of patient care. Surgery requires knowledge of anatomy, emergency and intensive care, immunology, metabolism, nutrition, pathology, physiology, shock and resuscitation, and wound healing.
The general surgeon is trained to provide surgical care for the whole patient. This includes making a diagnosis; preoperative, operative and postoperative management of the patient; and the surgical treatment of the:
alimentary tract;
abdomen and its contents, including the pelvis;
breast, skin and soft tissue; and
endocrine system.
It includes head and neck surgery, pediatric surgery, surgical critical care, surgical oncology, trauma and burns, transplants and vascular surgery.
The exact profile of a general surgeon’s practice may vary depending on whether the practice is in an academic centre, an urban community or a more rural centre. In rural practice, some surgeons may do gynecologic, urologic, orthopedic and ENT surgeries. In some academic centres, a general surgeon might limit his/her practice to one subspecialty.
GENERAL SURGERY PROFILE
General surgery tends to be a varied specialty, where the activities of a general surgeon involve time in the operating room, office, emergency department and the intensive care unit. General surgical practice requires expertise in communication and collaboration, teaching and research, health care management and continuing professional development.
Vascular surgery
A vascular surgeon diagnoses, treats, and manages conditions in your arteries and veins, also called your blood vessels. These specialists treat a range of health problems, from spider and varicose veins to life-threatening aneurysms, and can help patients manage chronic conditions throughout their lives.
What Conditions Do Vascular Surgeons Treat?
A vascular surgeon treats many conditions that affect the blood vessels in every part of your body except for your heart and brain. This can include:
