Cardiothoracic Surgeon
What the work is
Performs heart and lung surgery.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Assesses patients' medical conditions and determines the need for cardiothoracic surgery
- Utilises diagnostic tools such as imaging tests, electrocardiograms and blood tests to assess patients' conditions and determine appropriate treatment plans
- Performs surgical procedures on the heart and lungs, including bypass surgery, valve repair or replacement, and oesophagus, trachea and lung transplantation
- Advises and counsels patients and families about patients' conditions, treatment options and recovery
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a hospital surgical ward, outpatient clinic and operating theatre. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A patient who was in pain for years walks into clinic and thanks you for giving them their life back
- An operation goes exactly as planned because the team prepared well
- A trainee you supervise handles a hard moment well on their own
Hard days
- Telling a patient or family that the operation did not go as hoped
- Long days on your feet in theatre, followed by clinic and paperwork
- Decisions where the safest option is the one the patient least wants
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 264632, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.