Individuals must be self- motivated and very confident within themselves, especially when decisions are to be made. All patients seeking medical attention will not be of the same cultural background. For this reason surgeons must have great communication skills, must be able to work with each patient accordingly and without discrimination. A good General Surgeon is one that is conscientious with a high degree of self- discipline. Persons seeking employment in this area must also have good vision for detail and must be able to endure long hours of standing, as surgical procedures can be as long as 10 hours. Individuals must also be willing to study throughout their career in order to keep up with medical advances, as the medical field is expanding each day with the discovering of new diseases, cures and new technology. They will also be required to be as flexible as possible to the changing demands of the health environment. Although sometimes death of a patient can be rather unexpected, surgeons must be able overcome the emotions of death. At this time they must feel confident enough in the procedure assigned and performed, and in some cases, realize that a patient dying may not be their fault.
Like every other occupation in the job market, there are duties that a General Surgeon must be able to perform on the job. The main duty of a General Surgeon is to be able to perform the necessary surgical procedures on patients when necessary. Therefore, the surgeon must be able to examine the patient, decide whether clinical or laboratory work is necessary, interpret test results and x-ray examinations, and evaluate examination findings in order to diagnosis each patient appropriately. A surgeon must be also have extensive knowledge on as much, if not all, medical conditions that exist. This is necessary in order to prescribe the appropriate treatment and also to determine preoperative and post operative care such as prescribing diets, sedatives and preparing the patient's operative area.
