Anesthesiologists are physicians who work alongside surgeons and other specialists to ensure patient safety and the proper functioning of vital organs like the brain, heart, lungs, and kidneys during operations. As airway experts who manage the administration of critical medications across the entire spectrum of sedation through general anesthesia, anesthesiologists perform procedures to support you and vigilantly monitor your breathing, heart rhythm, and blood circulation, intervening immediately when challenges arise during surgery. They also provide pain management, including regional anesthesia options such as spinal anesthesia, epidurals, and peripheral nerve blocks. Anesthesiologists are involved before, during, and after procedures to minimize risk, optimize your health, and respond promptly to complications and emergencies.
What Is the Education and Training for Anesthesiologists?
Anesthesiology is a competitive medical specialty that requires a bachelor’s degree, completion of challenging pre-medical coursework, and a strong score on the national medical school admission exam (the MCAT). Medical school consists of four years of training and three standardized national licensing exams (USMLE Step 1, Step 2, and Step 3) to earn a Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree. Medical students then compete for a limited number of anesthesiology residency positions through the national residency match process.
After graduating from medical school, physicians complete at least four years of rigorous anesthesiology residency training, during which every case, day or night, is supervised. They must also pass three additional national board examinations (BASIC, ADVANCED, and APPLIED) before becoming board-certified anesthesiologists. To maintain board certification, anesthesiologists complete ongoing certification requirements every five to ten years to stay current with the latest research and evidence-based practices.
In addition, anesthesiologists must be licensed by state medical boards and credentialed by the hospitals or facilities where they practice. Some pursue additional fellowship training in subspecialties such as pediatric anesthesiology, obstetric anesthesiology, cardiothoracic anesthesiology, acute or chronic pain medicine, and critical care medicine, or develop specialized expertise in procedures such as transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), which may require additional certification examinations.
Who Do Anesthesiologists Work With?
Other physicians that anesthesiologists work with include surgeons, obstetricians, cardiologists, gastroenterologists, radiologists, and physicians in many other specialties that perform procedures requiring anesthesia. Anesthesiologists care for patients from all walks of life with a wide range of acute and complex chronic medical conditions. They practice in a variety of health care settings, including inpatient and outpatient operating rooms, labor and delivery units, medical offices, and advanced procedural suites. They collaborate with teams of physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals to provide the highest quality patient care.
While some anesthesiologists personally administer every aspect of a patient’s anesthetic care, others practice within an anesthesia care team, medically directing or supervising anesthesia provided in collaboration with other physician and non-physician anesthesia professionals.
What is the Anesthesia Care Team?
The Anesthesia Care Team may include physicians and non-physicians led by a Physician Anesthesiologist who directs or supervises pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative care. Please see https://www.asahq.org/madeforthismoment/anesthesia-101/anesthesia-care-team/ and excerpts from the Statement on the Anesthesia Care Team (https://www.asahq.org/standards-and-practice-parameters/statement-on-the-anesthesia-care-team) below:
Physician Anesthesia Care Team members
PHYSICIAN ANESTHESIOLOGIST: Director / Leader of the Anesthesia Care Team is the physician trained and licensed to practice medicine, and is subject matter expert in the practice of anesthesiology. The Physician Anesthesiologist has successfully completed a training program in anesthesiology accredited by the ACGME, the American Osteopathic Association or equivalent physician organizations.
PHYSICIAN ANESTHESIOLOGIST FELLOW: A Physician Anesthesiologist enrolled in an approved anesthesiology fellowship subspecialty program, who has already completed a training program in anesthesiology accredited by the ACGME, the American Osteopathic Association or equivalent physician organizations.
PHYSICIAN ANESTHESIOLOGIST RESIDENT: A Physician enrolled in an ACGME accredited anesthesiology residency program.
Non-Physician Anesthesia Care Team Members
ANESTHETIST*: The name “Anesthetist” in the U.S. refers to a Nurse Anesthetist or Anesthesiologist Assistant, as defined below. For further information, please refer to the ASA Statement on Comparing Certified Anesthesiologist Assistant and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist Education and Practice and ASA Statement on Students Involved in Anesthesia Care.
(Note: in some countries, a physician who practices anesthesiology is known as an “Anaesthetist” or “Anesthetist”.)
NURSE ANESTHETIST: A Registered Nurse who has successfully completed an accredited nurse anesthesia training program, and graduated from an approved nursing school (Also Known as “CRNA”).
ANESTHESIOLOGIST ASSISTANT: A health professional who has successfully completed an accredited anesthesiologist assistant Master’s Degree training program, after graduation from an approved baccalaureate degree program with completion of all premedical coursework required for admission to an AAMC approved medical school (also known as “CAA”). (For further information, please refer to the ASA Statement on Certified Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAAs): Description and Practice.)