This career project describes the path to becoming a general surgeon. It involves obtaining a bachelor's degree with a focus on science and pre-med courses, taking the MCAT, completing a four-year medical school program, and finishing a five-year residency program. General surgeons can expect to earn an average salary of $50,858 during residency, with most earning between $200,000 to $400,000 annually after completing their training. While the career allows one to help heal people, it comes with the downside of irregular hours and significant student loan debt from a lengthy education.

1. Career Project
By: Melissa Regalado

2. This career is all about healing people
by investigating their problem and fixing it through surgery

3. Bachelors Degree Program
Science and Anatomy Classes
Pre-Med Courses
Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)
Four Year Program of Medical School
Five Years of Residency

4. 3 4
5
2
1

5. $53,581 $49,780 $50,512 $47,941 $52,478
Average
$50,858

6. The average income for a general surgeon
is from $200,000 to $400,000

7. US Average
$231,550

8. = $1,000 monthly = $12,000 per year
$6,000 per year = $500 monthly =
= $650 monthly =$ 7,800 per year
$50,875 per year = $3,612 monthly =
$76, 675 a year

9. “The purpose
of life is not
to be happy.
It is to be
useful, to be
honorable, to
be
compassionat
e, to have it
make some
difference
that you have
lived
and lived
well.” —Ralph
Waldo
Emerson

10. Why did I pursue this career?

11. The up side of being a general
surgeon, I think, is the fact
that you heal people. Another
upside is that, hopefully, I won’t
have money problems.

12. The downside of being a general
surgeon is that you don’t get to
have a lot of free time because you
never know when you need to
do surgery. Also, student loans
because they are a big responsibility
after collage.

13. "General Surgeon: Education Requirements and Career Information." Education Portal. Accredited Business, n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2014.
( http://education-portal.com/articles/General_Surgeon_Education_Requirements_and_Career_Information.html )
Chan, Amanda L. "U.S. News Best Medical School Rankings For 2015." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 11 Mar. 2014.
Web. 06 Oct. 2014.
( http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/11/best-medical-schools-2015_n_4935490.html )
"The Average Salary Per Year of General Surgeons." Work. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2014.
( http://work.chron.com/average-salary-per-year-general-surgeons-1241.html )
"Quotes About Helping Others." (135 Quotes). N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2014. (
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/helping-others )
"Interview with a General Surgeon." Job Shadow RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2014. (
http://www.jobshadow.com/interview-with-a-general-surgeon/ )
"FinAid | Calculators | Loan Calculator." FinAid | Calculators | Loan Calculator. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2014. (
http://www.finaid.org/calculators/scripts/loanpayments.cgi )