💡 Why it matters: Operations treat injuries, tumours and birth problems that medicine alone cannot fix, and skilled surgeons are scarce in many parts of the world.
🌍 Around the world
- Nigeria: Skilled surgeons are scarce across Africa.
- United States: Jobs for physicians and surgeons are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, as fast as average (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦8M – ₦15M
- Mid-career
- ₦15M – ₦35M
- Senior
- ₦30M – ₦70M
≈ ₦1.3M – ₦2.9M a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇺🇸 United States
Closest US category: all physicians and surgeons; surgeon specialties are often higher. Median pay; low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
🇨🇦 Canada
Closest Job Bank page: General surgeon. Annual wages as shown by Job Bank (low/median/high); many surgeons are paid by fee, so the spread is wide. Job Bank (Government of Canada), 2023-2024
Yearly pay before tax. UK, US and Canada figures come from the official sources named on each card. Nigeria has no official salary survey, so those are our indicative estimates. Real pay depends on the employer, the place, your skills and experience.
🛠️ What you actually do
- Plan operations and explain them to patients
- Operate with a team of nurses and anaesthetists
- Treat emergencies like accidents and injuries
- Check on patients after surgery
- Teach younger doctors
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Steady hands
- Staying calm
- Decision making
- Teamwork
- Stamina
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Specialise abroad after the Nigerian medical degree
- Housemanship and NYSC (National Youth Service Corps) after the degree
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Graduate-entry medicine if you already have a degree
- Medical school widening-access courses
🇺🇸 United States
- Combined bachelor's and MD programmes at some universities
- Post-baccalaureate pre-med programmes
🇨🇦 Canada
- Some medical schools accept students after 2 to 3 years of university
- Programmes for Indigenous and rural applicants at some medical schools
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Become a medical doctor first through a medical degree
- 2Complete your junior doctor training (internship or foundation years)
- 3Start surgical residency or specialty training
- 4Pass the specialist exams
- 5Become a consultant or attending surgeon in a hospital
⏰ A day in the life
You review the day's operation list with your team, scrub in and spend the morning in theatre repairing a patient's broken leg. After lunch you check on patients recovering from surgery and talk to their relatives.