Surgeon to Cardiologist

Summary: 1 of the 6 core skills listed for Cardiologist carry over directly from Surgeon, and 1 more build on related experience. The US median salary changes by -32% ($400K → $270K). Difficulty: Challenging, typically around 9 months of focused upskilling.

The two roles

Surgeon: Perform surgical operations to treat injuries, diseases, and deformities.

Cardiologist: Treats cardiovascular diseases. Growth outlook +11%; AI-augmented (AI changes how the work is done, not whether it exists). Typical education: doctorate. Typical experience: 10+ years.

Skills that carry over

• Patient Care

Builds on related experience

• Intervention Procedures — builds on Surgical Skills

Skills to learn for Cardiologist

• Cardiology
• Diagnostic Imaging
• Medical Knowledge
• Research

Salary comparison (median, estimated)

Salary figures are estimates benchmarked against public compensation data — see methodology.

Next steps

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Related

Surgeon career guide | Cardiologist career guide

Other transitions to consider

• Surgeon to Physician/Doctor — 3 of the core skills carry over
• Surgeon to Dermatologist — 3 of the core skills carry over
• Surgeon to Registered Nurse — 2 of the core skills carry over
• Surgeon to Orthopedic Surgeon — 3 of the core skills carry over
• Dental Surgeon to Cardiologist — 4 of the core skills carry over
• Neurologist to Cardiologist — 4 of the core skills carry over
• Orthopedic Surgeon to Cardiologist — 4 of the core skills carry over
• Dermatologist to Cardiologist — 4 of the core skills carry over