Surgeon
Carry out a range of operations on patients, to improve their health or save their lives.
About the job
What it's like
Being a surgeon is a hands-on job where you help improve people's health and save lives. It comes with a lot of responsibility, with patients and their families putting their trust in you.
You'll carry out operations on patients, maybe because they're injured or have a worsening health condition. They could also wish to have cosmetic surgery.
Hospital doctors and GPs will refer patients to you, or they might come from an accident and emergency department. They may be anxious and upset so you’d need to communicate with them to help them calm down.
Your tasks might include:
talking to patients about their options and what the surgery involves
taking tests and arranging X-rays
carrying out operations as part of a team
doing daily ward visits to check on your patients
writing to GPs about your patients’ health and treatments
training and mentoring junior doctors and other medical staff
You could be a general surgeon with a wide range of skills and knowledge, or you could specialise in one area.
This could be operating on a specific part of the body. For example, neurosurgeons perform operations on parts of the nervous system including the brain.
Or you might focus on a particular group of people. Paediatric surgeons work with children and young people.
You could also specialise in doing a particular type of surgery that isn't localised in one part of the body. For example, plastic surgeons carry out surgery to restore, reconstruct or alter the body. They can also perform non-surgical treatments such as Botox injections.
It's important to keep up to date with the latest research – you might publish research papers, too.
Explore more information about this job
Here are some useful links to learn more about this career:
NHS Scotland Careers: Your Med Future – a guide to studying medicine in Scotland
NHS Scotland Careers – how to become a surgeon
University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) – find out about the UCAT
General Medical Council – becoming a doctor in the UK
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Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- taking responsibility
- making decisions
- developing a plan
- concentrating
- attention to detail
- empathising
- researching
- problem solving
- verbal communication
- resilience
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore each section to find more information about getting into this career.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
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Maths (Mathematics)
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English
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Biology
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Care
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Chemistry
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Human Biology
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Physics
To work as a surgeon in Scotland, you need five things.
1. A medical degree that's recognised by the General Medical Council. See ‘University’ on this page for more information.
2. Foundation Programme Certificate of Completion (FPCC) – this is a two-year, paid, work-based programme. You’ll do this after you graduate and it’ll help you transition from medical school to speciality training.
3. Speciality training – the stage where you decide which field of medicine you'd like to specialise in. Depending on your chosen speciality, training can take 5 to 8 or more years.
4. Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) – you'll be awarded your CCT once you've finished your speciality training.
5. A place on the General Medical Council's specialist register – this'll allow you to start working as a surgeon for the NHS.
University
You’ll need an undergraduate medical degree awarded by a medical school. There are standard and graduate entry options. Search medicine degrees on My World of Work.
Remember, medical degrees have extremely high entry requirements. As well as the entry qualifications, you'll need to sit the UCAT (University Clinical Aptitude Test).
For some graduate entry programmes, you'll need to sit the Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT).
Find out about aptitude tests on the Your Med Future website.
College
Getting qualifications at college, such as an HNC or HND, could help you progress to more advanced study. Search for Pathways to Medicine courses on My World of Work.
See what's available using our course search.
Widening access
You might think you can't study medicine because you didn't meet the entry requirements. But there could be some options open to you, depending on your circumstances.
Gateway to Medicine courses are a 'pre-medical year' available at some universities. They could help if your background or personal situation makes it harder for you to get into university.
Reach programme is a widening-participation initiative. It supports eligible pupils to apply to highly competitive degrees such as medicine.
Schools for Higher Education Programme (SHEP) encourages more young people to apply for further and higher education, especially from communities that often miss out on college or university.
Scottish Widening Access Programme (SWAP) offers routes to university by learning at college first. If you don't have a degree and have been out of education for at least three years, you could be eligible.
Entry to medical degrees is highly competitive, so you need to make your application stand out.
Volunteering is a fantastic way to show your commitment to a career in healthcare. Search for opportunities on Volunteer Scotland.
You’ll need to be approved for membership of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme, run by Disclosure Scotland.
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