An anesthesiologist is defined as an MD (Doctor of Medicine) whose concentration is pain relief, particularly pre - and post - surgical relief and anesthesia during the procedure itself.
What does an anesthesiologist do? He may examine patients to decide what type of anesthetic they need; he will certainly be in communication with that patients medical practitioner with that knowledge. His administration of the anesthesia might be via local anesthetic (an administration to an individual part of the body that leaves the patient conscious), intravenous anesthetic (an injection, usually used for operations where the patients sleeps, breathing through a tube), or spinal (for numbing specific areas of the spine for surgical procedure; the patient may or may not be awake during the surgery).
They are also bookkeepers for their own duties: an anesthesiologist must record the type of anesthesia he has administered in each surgery. In addition, once the patient is sedated, numbed, or unconscious, the anesthesiologist remains at the operating table to monitor vital signs (including blood pressure, heart rate, the rate of breathing and body temperature) and assessing whether or not there is a need for further intervention.
An anesthesiologist career can be incredibly exciting, because the face of it is always changing; there is a lifetime of continuous education that is needed to remain current, since pain management, and the science behind it, is always evolving.
What kind of person is the successful anesthesiologist? He or she will be an individual of academic excellence, who is detail - oriented (this cannot be stressed too much), always calm no matter how stressful the situation, and a caring, warm individual when interacting with patients; except for the surgeon, no one needs more of a reassuring bedside manner to calm a patients fears than the anesthesiologist.
Where do they work? Most anesthesiologists are hired for work in outpatient surgical centers, medical facilities and hospitals. There may be other job opportunities at crisis centers, academic medical schools, aprivate doctors practice or even in the military.
Anyone wanting to become an anesthesiologist hopefully got the urge at a young age: one needs preparation for it even at high school level, and should demonstrate excellence in math (algebra, geometry, trigonometry) and science (biology, chemistry, physics, anatomy) as well as health professions career pathways, psychology and computer expertise.
Once out of high school, the budding anesthesiologist will need to enroll in a premedical program at an accredited institute of higher learning; these programs are usually four years long, and intensely rigorous both in academic work and internships. At their conclusion, the student must pass the MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test) and be accepted into an accredited medical school.
Then the real rigor begins, as the student fulfills some 4000 hours of both medical and anesthesiology residency; he can also specialize in areas such as critical care or pain management. His end goal is to be certified by the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
Whats the job market like? Excellent, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics: they expect up to a 27% job market boost over the next decade. The growing population of not only children and teens but also of the elderly, who are living longer these days, makes it fairly certain that medical professionals, particularly in anesthesiology, will always be in demand.
The anesthesiologist will enjoy the greatest boost in employment because more and more patients, and more and more illnesses, demand specialty care that only an anesthesiologist can provide. The anesthesiologist, more than any other member of the medical team, must also have the computer and technological savvy to master the ever-increasing complexity of new anesthetic techniques and machinery.
Bottom line? An anesthesiologist median annual salary nationally is $292,000, which keeps it at the forefront of great medical careers.
