The Surgical PA practicing in General Surgery is trained to manage a broad range of medical and surgical conditions. In the current "Specialty care" environment, many PAs in General Surgery will be involved with a wide range of abdominal procedures. These will include surgery for many forms of intestinal and abdominal wall neoplasms, gallbladder disease, gastric and pancreatic disease.

Because the spectrum of general surgery encompasses many organ systems, the General Surgery PA must be knowledgeable about a wide range of pathophysiology. Many patients requiring a general surgical procedure will have a complex variety of co-morbid conditions. These conditions are frequently aggravated by the stress of surgery and the PA needs to be able to anticipate and correct these post-operative problems. This is where the basic medical and surgical knowledge acquired in PA school shows its greatest benefit.

The role of the General Surgery PA usually involves all aspects of patient care, both in the outpatient and inpatient setting. For example, in facilities without a designated trauma surgery department, the Surgical PA may be the first member of the surgical team to evaluate a trauma victim, institute immediate therapy, play an active role in the operative management and follow the patient through the critical care portion of their recovery. This PA often will follow the patient closely on the hospitals surgical ward. Many Surgical PAs function in the outpatient setting, so the PA who initially cared for this trauma victim would be following the patient weeks later in the office or clinic.

In some smaller hospitals, the General Surgery PA is expected to be able to deal with patients undergoing a broad range of procedures including Orthopaedic, Head & Neck, Thoracic and Urologic services. The flexibility and the adaptability of the surgical PA make them the obvious choice to assist the surgeon in all aspects of caring for the surgical patient.

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