The Burrow
Feb 17, 2025
Surgeons are typically held in high regard – after all, they dedicate their lives to helping heal others, carrying out complex operations after spending years of study on the inner workings of the human body.
As health insurance comparison experts, we were curious how long it takes Aussie surgeons to complete their training, and whether prospective doctors in other countries faced longer or shorter training times to become licensed surgeons.
Here are the results.
Of the 21 countries we looked at, medical students in the United Kingdom face the longest slog before achieving their full licence to independently operate as a medical practitioner, with an approximate time of 18 years from undergraduate to fully qualified surgeon.
This is based on a three-year bachelor’s degree, five years of medical school, two years of foundational training, two years of core surgery training, and then six years of specialisation training.
Australia was right behind with an approximate time of 17 years from fresh-faced undergrad to full qualification with a fellowship to the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS – a requirement to practice surgery independently).
| Country | Years* |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 18 |
| Australia | 17 |
| New Zealand | 15 |
| Norway | 13.5 |
| United States | 13 |
| Canada | 13 |
| Grenada | 13 |
| South Africa | 13 |
| India | 12.5 |
| Germany | 12 |
| Spain | 12 |
| Kenya | 12 |
| Finland | 11 |
| France | 11 |
| Japan | 11 |
| China | 11 |
| Greece | 10 |
| Chile | 10 |
| Mexico | 10 |
| Brazil | 10 |
| Uganda | 9 |
*Note: These are approximate times as of December 2024 and may be subject to change. For more information, view our methodology and sources below.
The long path to becoming a fully trained and certified surgeon may seem daunting to prospective medical students, but the reason why it takes so long to become a surgeon is because of how complicated and in depth this important role is.
Across the world, the initial phase of becoming a surgeon – attending medical school – is practically the same length no matter where you study. It’s the length of time spent doing placement and specialisation that differs between countries, with countries like the UK and Australia having very high standards for doctors.
It’s important to note that student doctors can be working and earning an income years before they finish all their surgical specialty study.
For example, in Australia you can still operate as a trained and qualified doctor and earn a wage without joining the RACS – but you cannot call yourself a surgeon until you complete the RACS training – or have an equivalent qualification accepted by the RACS.
Registered and qualified medical professionals like GPs may do some simple surgical procedures because they are trained and qualified, entitling them to perform this treatment within the scope of their training, even though they are not a surgeon. These medical professionals must make it clear they are not a surgeon, and they cannot perform an operation that requires surgical specialisation, such as brain surgery.
Compare the Market interviewed Dr Samuel Tan – a medical practitioner studying to become a specialist – on the journey to become a surgeon in Australia, and some of the upsides and downsides to such a long training regimen.
He noted that training to become a surgeon in Australia is a competitive field with limited spaces, and this can make the medical pathway longer in practice than medical students assume it would take.
“There are only so many surgeons working in public hospitals that have the time and broad caseload to train aspiring surgeons. There are usually five to ten applicants to every one successful entrant to surgical specialty (registrar) training, so this adds extra time as you might need to apply several times before securing a spot to progress forwards.”
One of the cons of such a long training and education pathway is that surgeons who have completed specialisation are much older, and this can have a huge impact on their work life balance.
“Residency can be very protracted for some surgical specialties, taking up to 10 years in some cases. Even if you start straight after high school, by the time you have completed specialisation you are in your late thirties.
“This can have significant knock-on effects on life planning. For example, it can be harder for mature age students, students with dependents, and students with carer responsibilities to get started as they likely have many competing responsibilities to juggle. To free up time for the demands of the program, many aspiring surgeons choose to defer parenthood.”
At the same time, Dr Tan noted that there can be pitfalls with shorter pathways, such as the USA’s training and study path.
“A shorter training pathway means you get a higher concentration of trained specialists to meet demand, but they will have a lesser breadth and depth of experience than students on a longer pathway experience. The US combines residency and registrar training to cut down on time, but these doctors have to work much longer hours every week by comparison.
“Additionally, because specialty entry occurs on graduation in the US system, there’s a growing trend where US medical students extend their time in medical school. Some students voluntarily ‘stay back’ one to two years extra to build a more competitive CV, accumulating additional student debt in the process.”
One of the several benefits of private health insurance is that it allows you to choose the doctor that treats you, rather than being assigned one while sitting on the public waiting list. Compare the Market’s Executive General Manager of Health, Steven Spicer, explains.
“Having private health insurance with hospital cover means that you get your choice of available surgeon. You might want to look for a doctor with a lot of experience in the particular surgery you need, or you may wish to choose a doctor that’s well recommended by others,” Mr Spicer said.
“Doctors in Australia are very well trained – some of the best in the world – and if you have cover for the surgery you need, you can have more choice on who performs your surgery.
“This is a choice that Australians in the public system don’t have. Although they’re in safe hands as well, private health insurance gives you choices you wouldn’t otherwise have when it comes to your healthcare.”
The given number of years to become a surgeon in different countries are approximate times based off typical lengths of study, internship, placement and residency for general surgeons – according to publicly-available sources.
Additionally, in some countries a surgery fellowship is mandatory to be able to independently practice medicine, while in other countries it is optional but recommended. Some medical schools require a prospective student to already have a bachelor’s degree beforehand, while others may take students straight out of high school provided they had good grades in relevant classes and pass entrance exams.
Doctors will start working and being paid for their work before completing their full qualification, typically during internships after completing medical school. Different medical specialisations may have different times for completion, and some fast-track courses may exist at specific universities and medical schools around the globe. Many student doctors may also spend extra time in different phases for personal development and learning, extending their training time.
Some medical students in different countries may have to wait for limited entry exams to progress towards their qualification. The timeframes above are based on a typical medical school pathway within each country as of December 2024, but are subject to change.
Information from each country was sourced from the resources below. We sought to find the amount of time on average it would take to become a fully qualified general surgeon in 21 countries from across the globe.