General surgeons said the most challenging aspect of their job was dealing with many rules and regulations, according to Medscape's 2019 general surgeon compensation report.
Four report details:
1. Fifty-four percent of surgeons don't use either physician assistants or nurse practitioners in their practice, while 33 percent use physician assistants and 29 percent use nurse practitioners.
2. Fifteen percent of general surgeons said difficulties getting fair reimbursement is one of the most challenging aspects of their job, while 12 percent cited working with an EHR system as a top challenge.
3. Forty-three percent of general surgeons said they spent 20 or more hours on paperwork every week, while 41 percent said they spend 10 to 19 hours.
4. Male general surgeons said they spend 40 hours a week seeing patients, while female physicians spend 38 hours.