General surgery is a discipline that requires knowledge of and familiarity with a broad spectrum of diseases that may require surgical treatment. By necessity, the breadth and depth of this knowledge will vary by disease category

However, there are some types of disease in which comprehensive knowledge and experience are not generally gained in the course of a standard surgical residency. In these areas, the surgeon will be able to recognize and treat a select group of conditions within a disease category.

General surgery as a field comprises, but is not limited to, the performance of operations and procedures (including endoscopies) relevant to the content areas.Clinical knowledge, including epidemiology, anatomy, physiology, clinical presentation, and pathology (including neoplasia) of surgical conditions.