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Anesthesiologist Assistant Job Description

Anesthesiologist assistants work under the supervision of licensed anesthesiologists to implement anesthesia care plans. These specialty physician assistants work side by side with Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists and virtually share the same job responsibilities, according to AnesthesiaAssistant.com. Anesthesiologist assistants in 2006 had starting salaries of $95,000 up to $120,000, according to the American Medical Association. This evolving field in the medical industry requires professionals to meet a number of training and competency requirements.

  1. General Duties

    • Anesthesiologist assistants meet with patients and record their health histories before surgery, according to Education-Portal.com. They also develop and monitor safe and effective pain management strategies prior to, during and following procedures. They can interpret data from central venous, pulmonary artery and intracranial catheters and other devices and can administer prescribed anesthetic, paying special attention to the patient's respiratory, cardiovascular and metabolic health. They are able to perform airway management during this process and adjust anesthetic levels on a minute-to-minute basis. These professionals also must recognize and treat surgical complications such as sudden myocardial infarction and hypotensive crisis, according to Anesthesia-Assistants.com.

    Other Skills

    • Anesthesiologist assistants also might be responsible for supervising laboratory functions associated with anesthesia and operating room care. These professionals must be very detail-oriented and have a passion to help others. They also must be good listeners, good at keeping records, level-headed, organized and willing to take direction from the anesthesiologists who supervise them.

    Environment

    • The employers of anesthesiologist assistants include facilities that perform procedures such as neurosurgery, trauma care, transplant surgery and cardiac surgery. Most anesthesiologist assistants work in large medical practices under intense pressure. However, these professionals can work in hospitals of all sizes.

    Training

    • Anesthesiologist assistants usually need a bachelor's degree in a pre-medicine field such as biology, chemistry or microbiology or in an allied health profession such as nursing or respiratory therapy to start the process of working in this field. They then progress to earning a master's degree from an anesthesiologist assistant program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). Programs cover anesthetic science, physiology, anatomy, pharmacology and the monitoring/evaluation of patients, and they allow students to complete clinical work. The programs can last about two years and prepare these professionals to pursue certification and state licensing as well.

    Certification

    • Regulations related to licensing were in place in 18 states in 2010. The National Commission for Certification of Anesthesiologist Assistants administers the National Certifying Examination for Anesthesiologist Assistants. These professionals must pass an exam every six years to stay certified. Anesthesiologist assistants additionally need to complete the advanced cardiac life support program by the American Heart Association.

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