Anesthesiologists are responsible for monitoring the administration of anesthesia during a medical procedure. The proper dose of anesthesia is paramount to maintain the patients’ vital signs while also keeping them unaware of pain during the procedure. The goal of this article is to equip the reader with an understanding of an anesthesiologist job description.
Anesthesiologists need to be excellent communicators and team members involved in patient health.The responsibilities, education required, skills, working environment, and job prospects of anesthesiologists are discussed in this article.
What Does an Anesthesiologist Do?
The job description of an anesthesiologist (anesthesiologist job description) requires caring for a patient during a medical procedure. Anesthesiologists stay with the patient from the beginning to the end the procedure to ensure they are receiving the right dose of anesthesia to manage pain. Building a rapport with the patient and medical team is an important, yet understated, aspect of being an anesthesiologist.
Anesthesiologists complete many years of schooling and work in a well-respected field. Anesthesiologists have a medical degree and are considered physicians. The average annual salary for an anesthesiologist is $258,100 dollars. This salary reflects the schooling involved, the intense nature of the job, and the competitive job market.
Anesthesiologist Job Description for Resume – Responsibilities
The main responsibilities for an anesthesiologist are in the bulleted list below. These responsibilities are what a hiring manager might find on an anesthesiologist’s resume.
- Determine the right proportion of medicine for an individual patient’s medical procedure.
- Build a relationship with the patient and understand how they typically react to medical procedures.
- Monitor the patient’s vital signs during a surgical procedure.
- Take proactive and reactive steps to adjust the anesthesia based on an individual’s response.
- Be an excellent communicator with the medical team to minimize risk to the patient during a surgical procedure.
- Be dedicated to the patient and stay with them during the entirety of the medical procedure and immediate recovery and adjust medication as necessary.
- Maintain patient confidentiality while delivering the best quality of care possible.
- Keep current in the field to identify new technologies and anesthetic drugs in order to minimize risk and improve patient health.
Anesthesiologist Job Essential Skills
The anesthesiologist job description emphasizes a few paramount skills these professionals should possess:
Quantification Skills. Preparing anesthetics requires understanding the patient history, the types of anesthesia that work best for them, the amounts of anesthesia needed, and possible interactions between medications the patient takes and anesthesia. Anesthesiologists also need quantification skills during the procedure to monitor vital signs and oxygen level and adjust these levels.
Stress Management Skills. Anesthesiologists can experience a high level of stress during a medical procedure because the patient’s vital signs depend on their expertise. Being able to complete necessary tasks in high-pressure environments is essential for this line of work.
Enthusiasm for Learning. Anesthesiology is a field where staying current with the latest education and research is absolutely necessary. Technology is constantly changing and new recommendations for medication emerge as a result of research.
How to Become an Anesthesiologist
As the anesthesiologist job description outlines, to become an anesthesiologist requires a medical degree and additional residency. Anesthesiologists will earn either a degree in medicine or osteopathy. Following medical school, anesthesiologists have to complete an internship and then complete four years of residency. Anesthesiologists can then choose to enter the field or continue in additional residency for increased specialization.
Education & Training Requirements
Becoming an anesthesiologist requires an extensive amount of schooling. Students who are interested in becoming an anesthesiologist need to make choices to prepare them for the rigors of medical school and residency. In high school, students should focus on advanced science courses and volunteer in medical settings. In college, students should choose the pre-med track of courses regardless of their actual major.
Students need to complete medical school after they finish their undergraduate degree. The courses in medical school cover areas beyond anesthesiology that provide a well-rounded medical education. Following courses are medical rotations. After medical school, students have their medical degree but must complete four years of residency. There is a program called the National Residency Matching Program that helps to match schools with what students are interested in studying.
Licensing exams are required after residency depending on the degree earned, M.D. or D.O. In addition, anesthesiologists can choose to become board certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology. Anesthesiologists have to continue professional development to stay current with the latest research in the field.
Work Experience
It is impossible to be an anesthesiologist without work experience. This is because residency is essentially work experience. By the time an anesthesiologist enters the field they have at least three years of specialty training and clinical experience. Virtually, all of their experience is accumulated during internships and clinical rotations.
Students who are interested in the medicine field can complete internships, volunteer experiences, or job shadowing while they are undergraduates. This can orient them to the culture of medicine and common communication practices. Any relevant work experience beyond residency helps a candidate to stand out.
Work Schedules
Anesthesiologists have to work long hours when they are scheduled but also receive a lot of time off. For the most part, anesthesiologists work 12 hour days and are expected to be on-call for 24 hours. However, they are also given significant time off, are not called into work on their off days, and receive a lot of paid time off.
However, anesthesiologists could choose to practice in a surgical center will have more regular hours and will not be expected to work overnight. Most anesthesiologists work full-time, but part-time work is possible in some work environment.
Career Prospects
Anesthesiologists report that they are very satisfied with their jobs and have a good work-life balance. The work environment is fast-paced and intense but they are rewarded with ample time away from work. Being an anesthesiologist is extremely competitive.
Students who choose this specialty need to be at the top of their field and score extremely well on their medical licensing tests. Considering that being an anesthesiologist is one of the highest-paying jobs, advancement typically occurs by being an experienced anesthesiologist.
The salary of anesthesiologists averages $258,100 a year which breaks down to $124.09 hourly. Anesthesiologists in urban areas typically have a higher salary. An experienced anesthesiologist can expect a higher salary than this while a new anesthesiologist may have a smaller salary.
However, it is still an excellent wage. For students who are dedicated and motivated, it is worth it pursue being an anesthesiologist because of the pay and high job satisfaction. However, it is a very competitive field with limited job opportunities.
Conclusion
Anesthesiology is one of the most respected job choices. It requires a dedication to education, a passion for medicine and helping people, and a high aptitude for learning complex topics. Being an anesthesiologist is extremely rewarding and can lead to a very nice quality of life.