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Anesthesiologists

Administer anesthetics and analgesics for pain management prior to, during, or after surgery.

What you’d do

  • Examine patient, obtain medical history, and use diagnostic tests to determine risk during surgical, obstetrical, and other medical procedures.
  • Administer anesthetic or sedation during medical procedures, using local, intravenous, spinal, or caudal methods.
  • Record type and amount of anesthesia and patient condition throughout procedure.
  • Monitor patient before, during, and after anesthesia and counteract adverse reactions or complications.
  • Decide when patients have recovered or stabilized enough to be sent to another room or ward or to be sent home following outpatient surgery.
  • Coordinate administration of anesthetics with surgeons during operation.
  • Position patient on operating table to maximize patient comfort and surgical accessibility.
  • Coordinate and direct work of nurses, medical technicians, and other health care providers.

Skills that matter

  • Critical Thinking
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Monitoring
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Active Listening
  • Complex Problem Solving

How to get there

Extensive preparation: most need graduate school, such as a master's degree or higher

Also called

  • Anesthesiologist MD (Anesthesiologist Medical Doctor)
  • Anesthesiology Resident
  • Pediatric Anesthesiologist
  • Physician
  • Attending Anesthesiologist
  • Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist

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