A residency training program is when surgical interns begin their medical careers.
After graduating from medical school, surgical interns remain interns for the first year before becoming complete residents in their second year of training.
While surgical interns might make a good starting wage, they generally see their compensation rise as they proceed through their residencies.
In this article, we will see who surgical interns are and how much do surgical interns make.
Summary
| Guide | How Much Do Surgical Interns Make? |
|---|---|
| Average Income | $45,000 annually |
| Highest Income | $75,000 annually |
| Education Qualification | Four-year bachelor’s degree |
| Training | Needed |
Who are Surgical Interns?
A surgical intern is a medical practitioner who has finished medical school and is in their first year of post-graduate training.
This internship year is necessary for medical school graduates before they begin their residency, which begins during their second year after graduation and lasts three to seven years.
Typically, a surgical intern works under the supervision of a licensed and practicing surgeon to accomplish their assignment.
They won’t be able to practice independently in their profession until they finish their residency and get licensure.
How Much Do Surgical Interns Make?
Surgical interns earn an average of $61,200 a year, according to data from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.
This average has been continuously growing since 2010 when it was $45,000 per year.
Surgical interns’ pay rises as they acquire experience and become better at what they do. Their salary could also change depending on the location they are working at.
1. How Much Do Surgical Interns Make an Hour?
Surgical Interns make a minimum of $8.17 an hour and a maximum of $92.79 an hour.
2. How Much Do Surgical Interns Make a Month?
Surgical Interns make a minimum of $1,417 a month and a maximum of $16,083 a month.
3. How Much Do Surgical Interns Make a Year?
Surgical Interns make a minimum of $17,000 a year and a maximum of $193,000 a year.
Highest Salary of Surgical Interns In 2023
Since you do not stay as an intern for too long to have an increased salary than your base one, there are not many differences between top earners and average salaries.
However, if you do an internship for more than a year, your salary will likely increase.
That number could go as high as $75,000 annually, a little bit high than the average salary of all surgical interns.
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Is Being a Surgical Intern Good or Bad?
If you want to be a surgeon or work in an area related to surgery, you have to study and become a surgical intern at one point in your academic and professional career.
You generally do everything as a surgical intern and help other surgeons with basic daily stuff and also get into the surgeries from time to time.
The surgical intern profession is a tough job that requires a lot of patience and effort, but if you like helping people and being in a medical setting, being a surgical intern is the best choice for you.
Pros and Cons of Being a Surgical Intern
Pros
- Job satisfaction
- Good pay
- Prestigious
- Growth prospect
- Exciting job
- Get to help others
Cons
- Expensive education
- High stress job
- Long hours
- Some patients are difficult to deal with
How to Become a Surgical Intern?
Here is a step-by-step process of becoming a Surgical Intern:
- Earn a four-year bachelor’s degree from an approved institution or university. Pre-med students who complete a bachelor’s degree usually major in biology, chemistry, or another life science discipline.
- After earning your bachelor’s degree, you can apply to medical school and take the MCAT.
- After passing the MCAT, you can apply to medical schools to pursue a medical doctor (MD) or doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO) degree.
- Then you can enter a surgical residency program after graduating from medical school.
- The surgical internship is the first year of residency. At this time, you may choose to specialize in a particular type of surgery.
How Many Hours Does a Surgical Intern Work?
Surgical Interns work a lot, and this job can be physically taxing, leaving very less time to engage in social activities. On average, a Surgical Intern works for 40-80 hours, including paperwork, patient care, surgery procedures, etc.
What is the Starting Pay of a Surgical Intern?
The starting pay of a Surgical Intern is $8.17 an hour or $1,417 a month.
Being a Surgical intern comes with a lot of pride, and the pay increases a lot with time. You can easily make as high as $193,000 a year in this field.
Surgical Intern Training Programs
Surgical interns’ training programs happen during their residency.
There is a period where surgical interns have to do an internship through a residency program where they work at a hospital and learn how everything works and work with their senior peers.
There are no other training programs that you can attend.
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Conclusion
Working as a surgeon is definitely not easy. To become a surgeon, you have to first be a surgical intern and learn the procedures, how to be one, and be around your senior peers to see how they perform tasks with their patients and during surgeries.
You need to study for at least 5 to 6 years and then sign up for a residency program as part of your education to be a surgical intern.
The salary is not bad and could increase substantially once you finish your internship.
FAQ
How much do surgical interns make when they work as an intern for more than a year?
Your salary increases the more years you work as an intern, but there will not be a major increase.
How much do surgical interns make when they do overtime?
There are no extra payments for overtime in the majority of the hospitals, only with some surgeries, but that’s it.
How much do surgical interns make when they stay overnight?
When you have an overnight shift at the hospital, since that is part of the job, this does not increase your income.
Shefali Jain is a Content Writer & Editor at USWorkforce.org
After completing her graduation in hospitality, Shefali decided to follow her passion and started writing. Shefali has been writing for two years now and contributes to our website as a skilled editor and content writer with strong research skills. Writing product and service reviews, biographies, and book reviews are some of her key areas, among many others in which she specializes. In her time at the organization, she has written and edited content on a range of topics, including employment law, human resources, and business management.
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