Trauma Surgeons Trauma surgeons are physicians (MBBS, MBChB, MB, and MD) or (DO) who have completed residency training in general surgery and fellowship training in trauma or surgical critical care. The trauma surgeon is responsible for the initial resuscitation and stabilization of the patient, as well as ongoing evaluation. The attending trauma surgeon also leads the trauma team, which typically includes nurses, resident physicians, and support staff. The majority of trauma surgeons practicing in larger centers complete a 1-2 year fellowship in surgical critical care. This allows them to sit for the American Board of Surgery (ABS) certifying examination in Surgical Critical Care. There is no separate board or examination for "trauma surgery". Training for trauma surgeons is sometimes difficult to obtain. In the United Kingdom, the Royal College of Surgeons of England is responsible for training consultants via the Definitive Surgical Trauma Skills course (DSTS). It remains the only course of its kind in the United Kingdom. Originally designed to teach the military, the course now trains both military and civilian surgeons.
Over the last few decades, a large number of advances in trauma and critical care have led to an increasing frequency of non-operative care for injuries to the neck, chest, and abdomen. Most injuries requiring operative treatment are orthopedic or nonsurgical in nature. For this reason, most trauma surgeons devote at least some of their