What is the hardest surgeon to become?

Asked by: Ms. Marion Hammes  |  Last update: April 24, 2025
Score: 4.7/5 (18 votes)

What is the hardest surgeon to be? It's difficult to become any type of surgeon, but if you want to equate “longest” with “hardest,” then the answer is neurological surgery, which has a seven-year residency—the longest of all postgraduate surgical residencies. It is (often) brain surgery, after all.

What is the hardest surgeon to be?

Neurosurgery is often considered one of the most demanding and competitive specialties in medicine. This field involves the surgical treatment of conditions affecting the brain, spine, and nervous system. Neurosurgeons may treat everything from brain tumors and aneurysms to spinal cord injuries and congenital defects.

What is the hardest type of surgery?

One of the most complex surgeries that patients can undergo is surgery related to the liver, pancreas, and gastrointestinal system. The surgery itself is a lengthy and complex process and requires a team of specialists to carry out the operation.

What type of surgeon takes the longest to become?

Based on the length of the medical residency program, neurosurgery takes the longest to complete—seven years.

Which surgeon is the easiest to become?

Orthopedic surgery and certain areas of plastic surgery are frequently cited as relatively easier due to their straightforward nature, compared to more intricate specialties like neurosurgery, cardiovascular surgery or trauma surgery.

Hardest Parts of Becoming a Doctor

25 related questions found

Who is the highest paid surgeon?

A neurosurgeon is the highest-paid doctor on our list. Neurosurgery encompasses surgery of the brain, spinal cord/column, and peripheral nerves. Aspiring neurosurgeons must complete at least a seven-year residency. The average annual compensation for neurosurgeons is $763,908, putting them at the top of our list.

What is the least stressful surgeon?

Plastic surgeons are typically thought of as the surgeons with the lowest stress levels and lowest burnout in surgery as a whole, though they scored one percentage point higher than orthopedics.

How old are most surgeons?

According to the responses, the training of surgical residents starts between the ages of 24 and 30 (average age 26.5). The training period varies between 5 and 10 years (average 6 years). The average age of a surgeon, at the time of appointment to a definite position in a hospital, is 36.8 (age range 30–45).

Do you get paid during residency?

Some larger healthcare organizations offer competitive residency programs with supplemental compensation networks in addition to a base salary. Kaiser Permanente's Southern California residency program, for instance, provides benefits such as a housing stipend and meal allowance.

What is the quickest surgeon to become?

The shortest surgical residencies are in general and orthopedic surgery, while plastic surgery, neurosurgery, and other more intricate types range from six to seven years. Depending on your interest areas, you may also want to pursue a fellowship after your residency to subspecialize.

What is the number 1 painful surgery?

In general, research has found that orthopedic surgeries, or those involving bones, are the most painful. However, researchers also found that some minor surgeries or those classed as keyhole or laparoscopic could also cause significant pain.

What is the riskiest surgery?

A craniectomy is a type of brain surgery and one of the riskiest surgeries. This medical procedure involves the removal of part of your skull to relieve any pressure on your brain. Although modern technology means it is a more common procedure, it is still very risky.

What is the most expensive surgery?

Heart Transplant: The Costliest Procedure

Heart transplants top the list as the most expensive medical procedure in 2024. The complexity of the surgery, the need for donor matching, and the lifelong post-transplant care contribute to the high cost.

What is the rarest doctor?

However, medical geneticists, also known as clinical geneticists, are believed to be among the rarest types of doctors. They specialize in diagnosing and treating genetic disorders that affect a relatively small percentage of the population. In the United States, there are only about 1,200 medical geneticists.

What's the hardest surgery to go?

Transplant surgery allows for the healthy organs of one person to be transferred to another person. This type of surgery is one of the longest and most complicated surgeries that doctors perform.

What is the toughest doctor degree?

Top 10 Toughest Courses in the Medical Field
  • Anesthesiology. ...
  • Plastic Surgery. ...
  • Oncology. ...
  • Orthopedic Surgery. ...
  • Pediatric Surgery. ...
  • Nephrology. ...
  • Forensic Pathology. ...
  • Infectious Disease. In the fight against ever-evolving pathogens, infectious disease specialists are on the front lines.

What is the highest paid residency?

The top-paying specializations post-residency include orthopedic surgeons ($558k) and plastic surgeons ($536k). The lowest-paying specialties are endocrinology and pediatrics, with average salaries of $256K and $260K, respectively.

At what age do doctors start making money?

For example, while a graduate who holds a master's degree in computer science can start competing for top developer jobs after about six years of college, or around their mid-20s, doctors won't start earning their $200,000-plus salaries until much later (early 30s).

How many years is residency?

Once medical school has been successfully completed the graduate school experience begins in the form of a residency, which focuses on a particular medical specialty. Residencies can last from three to seven years, with surgical residencies lasting a minimum of five years.

Who is the youngest surgeon alive?

Known as the “world's youngest surgeon,” Akrit made headlines for performing surgery at the tender age of seven. Born on April 23, 1993, in Nurpur, Himachal Pradesh, Akrit's extraordinary abilities were evident from a young age.

Is 70 too old for a surgeon?

Although there is no federally mandated retirement age for surgeons in the United States, surgeons must realize their skills will decline, a properly planned retirement can be satisfying, and the retired surgeon has much to offer the medical and teaching community.

What age do surgeons become millionaires?

In fact, according to the latest 2022 Medscape report which surveyed 13,000 doctors, the average physician graduated with $203,000 in debt. Only half of physicians reported a net worth of over $1 million, and not until the age of 55. Today let's review net worth by age for doctors through the decades.

What do surgeons struggle with?

The strong link between surgeons' personal and professional identities can lead to a perfect storm of burnout, depression, compromised patient safety and quality of care, physician job loss and career dissatisfaction, substance abuse, damage to personal relationships, and suicide.

What is the dropout rate for surgeons?

Attrition within surgical training is a challenge, in the USA, attrition rates are as high as 20–26% [1, 2]. It is a priority to retain surgical residents to meet the increasing healthcare demand and to reduce the significant costs associated with attrition.

What is the least paying surgeon?

The report found that orthopedic specialists were the highest paid specialty on average last year, with average annual earnings of $558,000, followed by plastic surgery at $536,000. Meanwhile, the lowest paid specialty last year was diabetes and endocrinology, with average annual earnings of $256,000.