The surgeon general also has many informal duties, such as educating the American public about health issues and advocating healthy lifestyle choices.

[7] Today, the surgeon general is usually selected from the civilian community, who aligns more closely with the president's political party.

[7] The office is not a particularly powerful one, and has little direct statutory impact on policy-making, but surgeons general are often vocal advocates of precedent-setting, far-sighted, unconventional, or even unpopular health policies.

[3] Officers of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps are classified as non-combatants, but can be subjected to the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and the Geneva Conventions when designated by the commander-in-chief as a military force or if they are detailed or assigned to work with the armed forces.

The only surgeon general to actually hold the rank of a four-star admiral was David Satcher (born 1941, served 1998–2002).

This was because he served simultaneously in the positions of surgeon general (three-star) and assistant secretary for health (which is a four-star office).