Summary Report for:
29-1242.00 - Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric
Diagnose and perform surgery to treat and prevent rheumatic and other diseases in the musculoskeletal system.
Sample of reported job titles: General Surgeon, Hand Surgeon, Orthopaedic Surgeon, Orthopedic Surgeon, Physician, Surgeon
This title represents an occupation for which data collection is currently underway.
Easy ReadTasks | Technology Skills | Tools Used | Detailed Work Activities | Job Zone | Credentials | Wages & Employment | Job Openings | Additional Information
Tasks
- Analyze patient's medical history, medication allergies, physical condition, and examination results to verify operation's necessity and to determine best procedure.
- Conduct research to develop and test surgical techniques that can improve operating procedures and outcomes related to musculoskeletal injuries and diseases.
- Diagnose bodily disorders and orthopedic conditions and provide treatments, such as medicines and surgeries, in clinics, hospital wards, or operating rooms.
- Diagnose or treat disorders of the musculoskeletal system.
- Direct and coordinate activities of nurses, assistants, specialists, residents, and other medical staff.
- Examine instruments, equipment, and operating room to ensure sterility.
- Examine patient to obtain information on medical condition and surgical risk.
- Follow established surgical techniques during the operation.
- Manage surgery services, including planning, scheduling and coordination, determination of procedures, or procurement of supplies and equipment.
- Operate on patient's musculoskeletal system to correct deformities, repair injuries, prevent and treat diseases, or improve or restore patient's functions.
- Order and interpret the results of laboratory tests and diagnostic imaging procedures.
- Prepare case histories.
- Prescribe preoperative and postoperative treatments and procedures, such as sedatives, diets, antibiotics, or preparation and treatment of the patient's operative area.
- Provide consultation and surgical assistance to other physicians and surgeons.
- Refer patient to medical specialist or other practitioners when necessary.
Technology Skills
All 4 displayed - Graphics or photo imaging software — Computer imaging software
- Human resources software — Human resources management system HRMS
- Medical software — Electronic medical record EMR software; Epic Systems
; MEDITECH software ; Three-dimensional 3D virtual surgery software (see all 9 examples)
- Operating system software — Microsoft Windows
Hot Technology — a technology requirement frequently included in employer job postings.
Tools Used
- Arterial line catheters
- Autotransfusion units — Cell savers
- Bronchoscopes
- Cardiac output CO monitoring units — Hemodynamic monitors
- Central venous catheters — Subclavian lines
- Colposcopes or vaginoscopes — Colposcopes
- Cryosurgery units — Cryoprobes
- Cystoscopes or cystourethroscopes — Cystoscopes; Flexible ureteroscopes; Rigid ureteroscopes
- Desktop computers
- Diagnostic or interventional vascular catheters for general use — Pulmonary artery catheters
- Diathermy units — Diathermy equipment
- Digital cameras
- Electrocardiography EKG units — Electrocardiography EKG machines
- Electrosurgical or electrocautery equipment — Argon beam coagulators; Biopolar cautery equipment; Electrosurgery units; Harmonic scalpels (see all 5 examples)
- Endoscopic catheter adapters — Endoscopic catheters
- Endoscopic clamp or dissector or grasper or forceps — Laparascopic graspers
- Endoscopic instrument sets — Flexible fiberoptic endoscopes
- Endoscopic insufflation or distention units or accessories — Endoscopic insufflators
- Endoscopic video cameras or recorders or adapters or accessories — Endoscopic video cameras
- Eyemagnets for ophthalmic surgery — Eye magnets
- Facial shields — Protective eye shields
- General surgical instrument sets — Autologous blood recovery systems
- Heart and lung machines — Cardiopulmonary bypass pumps
- Intravenous tubing with catheter administration kits — Intravenous IV equipment
- Irrigation or suction handpieces or cannulas or tips or catheters — Suction tips
- Laparoscopes or laparoscopic telescopes — Laparascopes
- Medical staplers for external use — Skin staplers
- Medical staplers for internal use — Bowel stapling equipment
- Medical ultrasound or doppler or pulse echocardiograph or echocardiograph units for general diagnostic use — Diagnostic ultrasound equipment
- Medical x ray units for general diagnostic use — Portable x ray machines
- Mobile medical services automated external defibrillators AED or hard paddles — Automated external defibrillators AED; Internal defibrillators
- Operating room patient fracture tables or orthopedic tables — External fixators; Fracture tables
- Operating room patient positioning devices for general use — Mayfield headrests
- Operating room patient procedure tables — Andrews tables
- Ophthalmic surgery instrument sets — Vitrector sets
- Oxygen therapy delivery system products — Oxygen administration equipment
- Patient controlled analgesia infusion pumps — Patient controlled analgesia PCA pumps
- Peritoneoscopes — Periosteotomes
- Personal computers
- Pulse oximeter units — Pulse oximeters
- Radiosurgical gamma knife units or scintillators — Radiosurgical gamma knives
- Resectoscopes
- Surgical bone cutting forceps — Bone-cutting forceps
- Surgical bone hand saws or wire saws or saw handles — Surgical hand saws
- Surgical calipers or rulers or protractors — Surgical calipers; Surgical rulers
- Surgical chisels or gouges — Bone chisels
- Surgical clamps or clips or forceps — Dressing forceps; Splinter forceps; Tumor forceps; Vascular clips (see all 40 examples)
- Surgical curettes or loops or curette sets — Surgical curettes
- Surgical dermatomes or dermabraders or dermameshers — Dermatomes; Padgett dermatomes; Zimmer dermatomes
- Surgical dilators
- Surgical drapes — Sterile drapes
- Surgical drivers — Surgical hand drivers
- Surgical elevators or levers — Surgical elevators
- Surgical extractors — Stone extractors
- Surgical gloves
- Surgical hammers or mallets — Surgical mallets
- Surgical irrigation sets — Irrigation tubing
- Surgical isolation or surgical masks — Surgical masks
- Surgical lasers — Carbon dioxide CO2 lasers; Holmium lasers; Laser dopplers; Neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet Nd:YAG lasers
- Surgical lithotripters — Ultrasonic lithotripters
- Surgical microscopes or loupes or magnifiers — Ceiling mounted microscopes; ENT microscopes; Portable surgical microscopes; Surgical microscopes
- Surgical needle holders
- Surgical nerve stimulators
- Surgical nippers
- Surgical perfusion cannulas or catheters — Balloon perfusion catheters
- Surgical pneumatic or battery or electric saws or drills or pin drivers — Craniotome drills; Sternal saws; Surgical power drills; Surgical power saws (see all 7 examples)
- Surgical pneumatic or electric tourniquets — Surgical tourniquets
- Surgical power equipment sets — Hip arthroplasty robots; Robotic arms; Surgical robots
- Surgical probes or directors — Tactile probes
- Surgical punches or punch holders — Biopsy punches
- Surgical rasps or files
- Surgical retractors — Cervical retractors; Lip retractors; Urology retractors; Vein retractors (see all 25 examples)
- Surgical rongeurs — Bone ronguers
- Surgical scalpels or knives or blades or trephines — Surgical scalpels
- Surgical scissors — Enterotomy scissors; Thoracic scissors; Tonsil scissors; Uterine scissors (see all 5 examples)
- Surgical smoke evacuators — Operating room smoke evacuators
- Surgical speculas
- Surgical spreaders — Rib spreaders
- Surgical suction machine or vacuum extractor or ultrasonic surgical aspirator — Cavitron ultrasonic surgical aspirators CUSA; Suction machines; Surgical aspirators; Wells Johnson aspirators
- Surgical taps
- Surgical trocars for general use — Surgical trocars
- Suture needles — Surgical suture needles
- Urological surgical instrument sets — Optical urethrotomes
- Uterine devices — Hysteroscopes
- Vascular occluder or ligator — Vascular occluders
- Vascular sequential compression devices or tubing — Sequential compression devices
- Vein harvest kits or systems — Endoscope vein harvesting equipment
Detailed Work Activities
- Diagnose medical conditions.
- Operate on patients to treat conditions.
- Prescribe medications.
- Advise medical personnel regarding healthcare issues.
- Analyze patient data to determine patient needs or treatment goals.
- Analyze test data or images to inform diagnosis or treatment.
- Assist healthcare practitioners during surgery.
- Conduct research to increase knowledge about medical issues.
- Examine patients to assess general physical condition.
- Follow protocols or regulations for healthcare activities.
- Manage healthcare operations.
- Order medical diagnostic or clinical tests.
- Order medical supplies or equipment.
- Prescribe treatments or therapies.
- Record patient medical histories.
- Refer patients to other healthcare practitioners or health resources.
- Schedule patient procedures or appointments.
- Sterilize medical equipment or instruments.
- Supervise patient care personnel.
- Treat chronic diseases or disorders.
Find occupations related to multiple detailed work activities
Job Zone
| Title | Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed |
| Education | Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree). |
| Related Experience | Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job. |
| Job Training | Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training. |
| Job Zone Examples | These occupations often involve coordinating, training, supervising, or managing the activities of others to accomplish goals. Very advanced communication and organizational skills are required. Examples include pharmacists, lawyers, astronomers, biologists, clergy, neurologists, and veterinarians. |
| SVP Range | (8.0 and above) |
Wages & Employment Trends
Median wage data for Surgeons, Except Ophthalmologists.
Employment data for Surgeons, Except Ophthalmologists.
Industry data for Surgeons, Except Ophthalmologists.
| Median wages (2020) | $100.00+ hourly, $208,000+ annual |
| State wages | |
| Local wages | |
| Employment (2020) | 41,500 employees |
| Projected growth (2020-2030) | 
Decline (-1% or lower)
|
| Projected job openings (2020-2030) | 1,000 |
| State trends | |
| Top industries (2020) | |
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2020 wage data
and 2020-2030 employment projections
.
"Projected growth" represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2020-2030). "Projected job openings" represent openings due to growth and replacement.
Sources of Additional Information
Disclaimer: Sources are listed to provide additional information on related jobs, specialties, and/or industries. Links to non-DOL Internet sites are provided for your convenience and do not constitute an endorsement.
- American Academy of Family Physicians
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
- American Association for Hand Surgery
- American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine
- American Board of Physician Specialties
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
- American College of Physicians
- American College of Surgeons
- American Medical Association
- American Osteopathic Association
- American Society for Surgery of the Hand
- American Society of General Surgeons
- American Surgical Association
- Association of American Medical Colleges
- Federation of State Medical Boards
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Physicians and surgeons
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