Thoracic Surgeon

                                            

Duties and Responsibilities:

A thoracic surgeon is a medical doctor who performs operations on the heart, lungs, esophagus, and other organs in the chest. This also includes surgeons who can be called cardiothoracic surgeons, cardiovascular surgeons, general thoracic surgeons, and congenital surgeons.

Thoracic surgeons operate on diseases and can treat:

·         Coronary artery disease or blockages of the arteries in the heart

·         Leaking heart valve (s)

·         Lung cancer

·         Swallowing disorders such as achalasia

·         Cancer of the esophagus

·         Arterial septal defects

Salary:   $300,000-$500,000

Educational Requirements:

Thoracic surgeons have to graduate from medical school and most commonly will go on to complete a five-year general surgery residency. After this they must successfully matriculate through an approved cardiothoracic surgery residency program for either two or three years. Some thoracic surgeons choose to do additional training in a sub-specialized area but this training is largely optional, except for congenital heart surgery.

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Reflection: I don't think I would like to be a thoracic surgeon because I’m not interested in this field.