How to become a general surgeon
Official title: General surgeon
General surgeon performs various kinds of surgical operations in the treatment of injuries, diseases and disorders of the human body, and reviews reports of patients’ physical condition and medical history. He/she examines patient to determine need for surgery, appropriate operational procedure and when operation should take place in addition to giving instructions regarding the preparation of patient and instruments and other equipment required.
Main tasks
- Considering medical information provided by a referring doctor or other healthcare provider
- Ordering specialised diagnostic tests to determine the nature of disorders or illnesses
- Prescribing, administering and monitoring patients’ responses to surgical treatments
- Performing surgery of a general or specialised nature
- Managing complications before, during and after surgery
- Recording patients’ medical information and exchanging information with other health professionals to ensure the provision of comprehensive care
- Reporting births, deaths and notifiable diseases to government authorities to meet legal and professional requirements
- Providing information to patients and families about preventive measures, treatment and care for specific ailments
How to become one
Occupations included in this unit group require completion of a university-level degree in basic medical education plus postgraduate clinical training in a medical specialisation (excluding general practice) or equivalent. Medical practitioners are required to be registered with the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) or its equivalent and possess a Practising Certificate (PC) in order to practise medicine in Singapore. Medical practitioners who wish to practise as a specialist are required to be accredited by the Specialists Accreditation Board (SAB) or its equivalent and registered under the relevant specialty by the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) or its equivalent.
Ways in
- University: Medicine & Dentistry degrees, Offered by 2 universities in Singapore
- Licence or registration: To practise medicine you must be registered with the Singapore Medical Council and hold a current practising certificate. Local graduates start with provisional registration during their first year of postgraduate training. To practise as a specialist you also need specialist registration, which follows accreditation by the Specialists Accreditation Board. Law: Medical Registration Act 1997. Regulator: Singapore Medical Council (SMC) (https://www.smc.gov.sg).
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: $66,960 a year. The middle half earn $54,360 to $75,480 a year.
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
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Questions people ask
How do I become a general surgeon?
Occupations included in this unit group require completion of a university-level degree in basic medical education plus postgraduate clinical training in a medical specialisation (excluding general practice) or equivalent. Medical practitioners are required to be registered with the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) or its equivalent and possess a Practising Certificate (PC) in order to practise medicine in Singapore. Medical practitioners who wish to practise as a specialist are required to be accredited by the Specialists Accreditation Board (SAB) or its equivalent and registered under the relevant specialty by the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) or its equivalent.
How much does a general surgeon earn in Singapore?
Median full-time pay is $66,960 a year (Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg)). The middle half earn $54,360 to $75,480.
Will AI change the work of a general surgeon?
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg): Resident Occupational Wages (Occupational Wage Survey) (June 2024 (data.gov.sg update 2026-04-01)), Singapore Open Data Licence v1.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
- Singapore Department of Statistics (SingStat): Singapore Standard Occupational Classification (SSOC) 2024 (SSOC 2024 (definitions and index updated 2026-06-24)), Singapore Open Data Licence, retrieved 4 October 2026
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Updated 4 October 2026