A good example is neurologist. The neurologist studies the nervous system, but the neurosurgeon does surgery on it.
Is this common in medicine? I think the cardiologist is different from the cardiovascular surgeon. The gastroenterologist is different than the colorectal surgeon.
But what about podiatrists, dermatologists, or othrr specialities.
Does the same apply to dentistry where the orthodontist does the surgeries? The dentist does minor surgery like root canals and fillings.
Do practitioners who arent surgeons get to do minor surgery? I had an ingrown toenail surgically fixed by a family practitioner.
Don’t know why some specialties have separate surgical and non-surgical specialties.
Podiatrists are the experts and the surgeons for feet, the same as an orthopedic foot specialist. Orthopedists are orthopedic surgeons. Dermatologists are a similar specialty for skin, hair, and nails. A dentist is a dental surgeon. US dentists are regulated by several organizations that would limit their practice based on experience, training, and facilities.
In the US general practitioners can perform minor surgery. Regulations limit such surgery to areas away from the eyes, heart, and other areas. For instance a surgeon may be required to stitch up a wound near to the eye or drain a skin cyst near the heart.
@Qadgop_the_Mercotan can be more specific as hes just retired from being a doc …
When I was pregnant, I was actually sorta surprised to discover obstetricians do C-sections. I had never thought of it, but I think on some level I assumed they brought in a surgeon to do them. It does change your perspective a little: it’s “do I trust this person to cut me open, quite possibly in an emergency context?” (Which is exactly what happened, complete wirh emergency general anesthesia, because it was that quick).
Anyway, my general impression is that its more rare for the medical specialty to have a surgical component. I think “medicine” vs “surgical” is the first big split in the med school track. Then they split into specialties.
When I had shoulder problems, my PCP referred me to a sports medicine doctor (aka physiatrist, which was a new word for me). He did a number of things: performed an X-ray, prescribed physical therapy, gave me a cortisone injection. When the problems persisted, he did an MRI, which showed a major tear in the rotator cuff. At which point, he referred me to an orthopedic surgeon to repair the tear.
Your descriptions are simplistic. Both medical surgeons and other specialists are experts, and the distinctions have lessened slightly due to better medicines and technology.
Medicine aims to be a practical field. Though unnecessary and unhelpful interventions exist, the goal is to improve patient outcomes. Many operations exist which do this for specific patients. These are specific procedures which require considerable skill and practice. Developing these skills will take additional time and a mentorship system of gradually increasing responsibilities.
Surgeons in a given field know much of what a non-surgeon knows. What they use in practice may differ a lot. In many residencies, both do detailed research or even PhDs. The skill set in practice is different - but with high demand and many conditions not benefiting or requiring surgery, both are often needed. Surgeons want to operate and spend less time managing people who do not need an operation, of which there are many.
I have surgeon friends who say “we know everything the non-surgeon knows, plus we do surgery”. Some might disagree. The surgeries they do changed greatly in some fields over recent years, even during their training. Better medicines were an alternative to surgery in some cases. Making procedures much easier due to technology meant non-surgeons could get the skill to do them safely. In some fields, surgeons were given more advanced cases but lost the easier “bread and butter” ones. Yet other areas changed much less.
In Canada a doctor can do anything provided it is at the same level and skill as a specialist. This is not realistic for complicated surgeries in different fields which require much training. It is more realistic for simple procedures, and better technology helps. Training changes all the time.