Learn About Being a Anesthesiologist in 2024

What is an Anesthesiologist?

An anesthesiologist is a specialist who focuses on the prescribing and administration of anesthesia to patients. The anesthesiologist is responsible for meeting with the patient and consulting their chart or with their physician to determine what the patient’s anesthesia needs will be. An anesthesiologist has several options for types of anesthesia available to them and will choose the best option for the patient’s needs during a procedure.

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The anesthesiologist is also responsible for the patient’s health during a procedure as far as it pertains to the anesthesia treatment and can order adjustments during the procedure for patient safety. An anesthesiologist is a crucial member of the medical team, both for safety as well as for patient comfort.

What does an anesthesiologist do?

Anesthesiologists are the doctors who provide anesthesia for medical procedures. They work in clinics and hospitals all over the world. Anesthesiologists help patients receive the best possible medical care by providing anesthesia. They also deal with various other medical emergencies, such as heart attack and stroke.

An anesthesiologist is a critical part of the surgical team. The anesthesiologist’s work ensures that the patient is safe and the procedure causes as little discomfort for the patient as possible. Duties an anesthesiologist will be expected to carry out include:

• Meeting with patients and their families to discuss their medical history as well as any concerns and preferences they have for their upcoming surgery

• Consulting with the medical staff performing the procedure and treating the patient in order to discuss the procedure and determine the best course of action for anesthesia

• Explaining the anesthesia plan to patients and their families, then answering any questions they have

• Overseeing the administering of anesthesia to the patient by a medical professional, or administering the anesthesia in the event no suitable professional is assigned to the operation

• Monitoring a patient’s levels and vital signs throughout a procedure to watch for indications that anesthesia levels need to be corrected

• Ordering the adjustment of anesthesia when needed to maintain comfort and safety standards throughout the procedure

• Responding to emergency situations during a procedure and ordering the adjustment of levels with the required level of urgency

• Reversing the patient’s anesthesia following surgery when general anesthesia was needed, in order to safely wake the patient back up

• Monitoring post-surgical pain and ordering the administering of pain-management treatment if required for patient comfort

• Providing emergency care if needed to assist when participating in critical care or when a patient is crashing during a routine surgery

An anesthesiologist may also be required to perform additional tasks when necessary, with those responsibilities varying by the facility. Learn About Being a Physician Assistant

How to become an anesthesiologist

As a doctor, an anesthesiologist is held to high professional and educational standards. If you’re considering a career as an anesthesiologist, here are the steps you must take:

1. Earn an undergraduate degree: A doctor is required to undergo extensive schooling before they can legally practice, and that begins with an undergraduate degree. Although pre-med is an ideal major choice for an aspiring doctor, other popular and valuable options include science-based fields such as biochemistry and biology.

2. Take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT): Just as undergraduate institutions often require you to take a standardized test like the SAT or ACT, medical schools will likely want you to take the MCAT and submit your scores. The MCAT tests skills and knowledge important to a medical professional such as critical thinking, problem-solving and knowledge of behavioral, natural and scientific concepts and principals. The exam consists of four multiple-choice sections lasting 90-95 minutes, with each scored on a scale from 118 to 132, with 125 the mean and median score.

3. Earn a medical degree: Following the completion of undergraduate studies, an aspiring doctor must attend four years of medical school. During this time a medical student will receive both technical knowledge and be provided with demonstrations and experience practicing the administration of medical tasks. This time provides the medical student with valuable skills that are required as they progress further in their studies and ultimately when serving as a practicing physician.

4. Complete a medical internship: Following the completion of medical school, a student will begin a one-year internship. During this phase, the intern earns practical on-the-job experience. In addition to assisting and observing patient care, interns will participate in rounds and experience different specialties available to them in the future.

5. Enter into an anesthesiology residency: A residency program provides a doctor with the advanced stages of their post-graduate education, including specialized education. As an anesthesiology resident, a student receives both continuing general medical education as well as structured education in anesthesiology in order to better prepare the student to work as an anesthesiologist

6. Get a state medical license: In order to legally practice medicine in a state, you have to earn your state medical license. An aspiring doctor commonly seeks their license following their residency program. Medical licenses are not transferrable between states, so if you move to a facility across state lines you will need to seek licensure in that state. Additionally, a doctor who commutes across state lines must be licensed in the state in which they practice, not the state in which they live.

7. Consider a specialized fellowship: At the end of an anesthesiology residency an anesthesiologist has the option to pursue a fellowship. During the one-year fellowship, the anesthesiologist will specialize in a subset of anesthesiology, such as obstetric anesthesiology, pediatric anesthesiology or pain management. For a doctor who is interested in focusing on a specific type of care, a specialized fellowship allows the anesthesiologist to stand out from competitors for positions, and to perform better in a position once hired.

8. Apply for board certification: Although board certification is not a strict requirement, it reflects well on an anesthesiologist and may be requested by the facility looking to fill a position. A certification is commonly received in the specialty the anesthesiologist pursued during their fellowship. The certification is likely to have experience requirements for eligibility, as well as an examination that must be passed in order to earn the board certification.

9. Create your resume: A resume is your first impression with a hiring professional, so it is important that your resume best represents you and your qualifications. In addition to including any certifications and associations you possess, you should call special attention to past experience that is directly applicable to the job posting you’re applying to. If the listing made note of specific skills or duties, for example, you should use your experience and skills sections to call attentions to times you carried out those duties or demonstrated those skills.

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Anesthesiologist salary

Anesthesiologists are usually full-time, salaried employees. Compensation varies by experience, location and the size and prestige of the facility employing the anesthesiologist.

• Common salary in the U.S.: $328,959 per year

• Some salaries range from $110,000 to $661,000 per year

Anesthesiologist skills

A successful anesthesiologist will possess a blend of hard and soft skills that enable them to excel in the role. Important skills for an anesthesiologist include:

• Attention to detail: When working in the medical field, it is important that you pay attention to every detail, even one that is seemingly small. An anesthesiologist with a strong attention to detail maintains patient safety and minimizes their personal exposure to such errors during their shift.

• Communication: A significant requirement for an anesthesiologist is the ability to communicate clearly with others, both verbally and with any notes on charts. Effective communication between the anesthesiologist and patient allows for an accurate understanding of the patient’s situation. It also helps the patient to understand what the anesthesiologist will be suggesting for them during and after the operation. When communicating with other medical staff, clear communication prevents errors as a result of misunderstandings.

• Critical thinking: As a medical professional, an anesthesiologist needs to be capable of taking a complex set of information about a patient and using it to come to a sound medical decision. This skill allows the anesthesiologist to assess what they know about the patient as well as their personal medical knowledge and their peers’ opinions and use it all to devise a course of action. By critically analyzing all factors, the anesthesiologist chooses a route they feel best situates the patient for a successful treatment.

• Empathy: When interacting with patients, empathy allows the anesthesiologist to relate to what they are going through. As patients may be facing a challenging situation, empathy is a key skill for making them feel comfortable and preparing them for the operation they are facing. When prescribing pain-relieving anesthesia, or considering a patient’s special requests, empathy also allows the anesthesiologist to better serve the patient. By weighing their requests with their medical needs, the anesthesiologist can determine if there are medically safe ways to make the process easier on the patient.

• General medical competence: An anesthesiologist specializes in prescribing and administering anesthesia to patients, but they must also possess strong overall medical knowledge. In addition to needing general knowledge in order to pass through the early phases of their education, it’s also important for an anesthesiologist to be informed when working in a medical facility. The more knowledgeable the anesthesiologist is, the better positioned they are to work with the rest of the staff to make the best possible decision for patients when called upon. Medical knowledge is also vital if the anesthesiologist is required to provide emergency care.

• Grace under pressure: If an anesthesiologist is overseeing an operation and the patient’s vitals begin to show signs of danger, the anesthesiologist needs to act quickly and correctly. The ability to keep calm and think rationally despite the pressures of needing to make a decision of such high consequence on a restricted time frame is necessary to perform at your best.

• Service orientation: Working in a medical setting is often a challenging career choice. Doctors who are naturally inclined to serving and helping others are often more successful. An inclination to help others can make working as an anesthesiologist more fulfilling, which in turns helps keep the anesthesiologist focused while at work and committed to continuing to learn and grow within the profession.

• Specialized medical knowledge: In addition to general medical knowledge, an anesthesiologist must remain up to date on their anesthesiology knowledge. It’s important for an anesthesiologist to continue learning and reading industry literature as new developments are made in order to ensure that they remain aware of any changes to industry standards. This specialization allows the anesthesiologist to find solutions generalists or specialists in other fields cannot.