Career As A Anesthesiologist Assistant

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An anesthesiologist plays a major role in every surgery. He administers anesthesia to a patient so that he/she cannot feel the pain. The job is well respected and is well paid too.

The average annual salary of an anesthesiologist is around $345000. The anesthesiologist assistant assists the Chief Anesthesiologist in the post surgery care. The Anesthesiologist Assistant or AA must be dedicated to his work and should be hard working.

Duties & Responsibilities

The chief duty of an AA is to help the anesthesiologist and to monitor the health of the patient. The job is done before, during and after the surgery. The AA also makes sure that all medical equipments are working fine. Among other things, the AA also needs to ensure that the operation theater is in working condition. The other tasks include administering drugs, inserting the IV and physical examination of the patient.

The AA must assist the chief anesthesiologist at every stage during a live operation. The AA monitors the pulse and checks the body temperature of the patient from time to time. The post surgery care starts as soon as the surgery is over. He is in charge of transferring the patient from the OT to his ward, monitors the health of the patient and reports the status to the doctor. These tasks must be done with utmost care so that any future complications can be avoided.

Requirements

Nowadays the AA commands a very attractive salary and as a result many students are now opting to become an AA. The aspirant must first complete a bachelor’s degree and then complete a master’s degree program in anesthesiology. The bachelor’s degree must be either in science or medicine. The duration of the course is four years.

The 2 years masters degree programs is compulsory and it must be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs or CAAHEP. You must choose the school with care as only few offers the AA programs. For getting admission the student must the GRE and the MCAT. The students get first hand experience in anesthesiology during the course. After the completion of the course you will be certified to work in a doctor’s clinic or as a hospital intern. The average starting salary would be $100,000.