What are the pros and cons of being an orthopedic surgeon?

The pros and cons of being an orthopedic surgeon relate to making an impact on people's lives, high compensation, and long work hours. Here are the top pros and cons of being an orthopedic surgeon:

Pros:

• Making an impact on people's lives

One of the best aspects of being an orthopedic surgeon is the fact that you get to make positive changes in the lives of your patients, sometimes profoundly. Orthopedic surgeons provide surgical treatments for a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions, including bone fractures, joint replacements, and spine issues. The work can be extremely fulfilling.

• High compensation

Orthopedic surgeons are some of the highest-paid medical professionals in the healthcare industry. The average salary of an orthopedic surgeon in the United States is $521,722 per year. And some can make well over $600,000 per year. This also depends on other factors, but nearly all orthopedic surgeons experience exceptional pay for their work.

• Job security

The field of orthopedic surgery is expected to grow in the next decade due to an aging population and sports-related injuries and the rise of other medical conditions. This means an orthopedic surgeon in most cases won't have any problem finding and retaining a job. It also means that they choose where to work in terms of state or region to a large degree.

Cons:

• Long work hours

Orthopedic surgeons typically work over 40 hours per week. Many keep weekly schedules of 45 to 60 hours, however, some can also put in over 70 hours in a work week. This is because there are fewer orthopedic surgeons than general nurses in the medical field.

Being specialized in orthopedic surgery demands that orthopedic surgeons be ready to work more hours than the average surgeon. Orthopedic surgeons have to work many hours, particularly if they specialize in an aspect of orthopedic surgery that is in high demand.

This is one of several reasons that they have particularly long work weeks with lots of hours. An orthopedic surgeon's work week hours can fluctuate from week to week depending on their patient load, and other factors as well.

• Educational requirements

It is a huge commitment in terms of time and effort to become an orthopedic surgeon. This includes a relevant bachelor's degree, four more years of medical school, five years of participating in a residency program, and then sometimes one to two years of fellowship training.

Orthopedic surgeons perform very sensitive medical procedures, ones that don't leave room for error. Mistakes by orthopedic surgeons could have disastrous consequences for their patients, and can even lead to lawsuits, and at worst, the loss of their job and license to practice. They also must be able to work with tight deadlines and emergency situations.

• It's a physical job

Orthopedic surgeons often have to spend long stretches of hours on their feet, and they also must remain laser-focused while doing so. This can be a challenging element of the job and can also take its toll physically and emotionally.