Is A Career In Anesthesiology Right For You?
Anesthesiology is an advanced medical specialty provided by highly qualified, skilled medical professionals.
Anesthesiologists play a critical role in surgical operations since they administer and monitor anesthesia – local or general – to a patient. It’s their responsibility to ensure that a surgical procedure goes according to plan.
In the case of general anesthesia, an anesthesiologist must monitor the patient at all times. Similarly, they must communicate with patients during local anesthesia.
According to Statista, there were 46,453 anesthesiologists in the U.S. around April 2016. A well-paid, respected medical specialty, anesthesiology is a highly sought after field.
Think you have what it takes to be an anesthesiologist? Read on to find out basic information on this profession:
Job description
The success of a surgery greatly depends on an anesthesiologist. Apart from administering anesthesia for surgery, an anesthesiologist takes care of the patient before, during, and after surgery.
Before surgery, the anesthesiologist has a one-on-one meeting with the patient to assess their medical history. In addition, they determine the right type of anesthesia. The anesthesia used depends on the patient’s overall health, type of surgical procedure and medications being taken by the patient.
The anesthesiologist administers anesthesia and monitors the patient’s vital signs, such as breathing, blood pressure and heart rate. In addition, they usually insert an intravenous line to administer additional fluids. Furthermore, they observe the patient to meet any emergencies during surgery.
To put it in simple words, they are responsible for the patient’s wellbeing and comfort. For general anesthesia, the anesthesiologist may have to give the patient a pain-relieving medication following surgery.
Education & Training
Anesthesiologists must complete a minimum of two to three years of undergraduate university education. Thereafter, they are required to complete a 4-year Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathy (DO) program.
Needless to say, admission to accredited medical schools is extremely competitive.
After graduating, anesthesiologists must undergo a five-year anesthesiology residency program. The residency entails a medical or surgical internship, which is followed by three years of hardcore training in anesthesiology. During anesthesiology training, the prime focus is on the following:
- Chronic and acute pain management
- Pre-operative patient evaluation
- Post-operative pain evaluation and control
- Intensive care pain management
- Pre-existing disease factors in surgical care
Salary
Anesthesiologists earn high salaries. As per PayScale, an anesthesiologist earns an average salary of $275,743 per year. Similarly, they enjoy flexibility in terms of job location.
However, that’s the reward for over a decade of expensive schooling and high medical school bills.
Specializations
While anesthesiologists mostly work in hospitals, some of them could be employed in private practices and outpatient centers.
They may need to have specialized experience, training or education for that.
The American Board of Anesthesiology provides certifications in various specializations, such as pain medicine, hospice and palliative medicine, sleep medicine and pediatric anesthesiology.
Searching for anesthesia jobs across the country? Check out our online portal featuring various anesthesiologist recruiters.
