School Student
What's surgery like?
Settings in which surgeons work
Obviously, most of a surgeon’s work takes place in a hospital setting, either in the NHS or in the private sector. Surgeons’ time is planned and divided into programmed activities (PA). These were previously called sessions; a PA is approximately half a day’s work. In addition to performing operations, surgeons also have to undertake: ward rounds, outpatient clinics, administrative work and teaching.
Further, many surgeons also engage in additional professional activities such as teaching, research or medical politics. For all of these activities you can expect to travel, both within the UK and internationally. The proportion of a surgeon’s time taken up with each of these activities will vary according to his or her grade and specialty.
