Anesthesiologist Job Description

Anesthesiologist Job Profile and Description

The Anesthesiologist is a medical doctor trained in the management of pain of surgery patients, and those in labor and delivery rooms, intensive care units and generally patients suffering from intense and chronic pain. As peri-operative physicians in operating rooms, they manage patients before, during and immediately after a surgery, administering anesthesia and tracking its levels intraoperatively and monitoring vital life functions. While many surgical operations can be served with a registered nurse anesthetist, complex surgeries like those involving brain surgery and transplants are often attended with physician anesthesiologists.

Anesthesiologist Duties and Responsibilities

• Administer sedation or anesthesia during medical procedures, whether local, intravenous, caudal or spinal.
• Monitor and assess patient’s vital signs before, during, and after surgery and manage complications or adverse reactions.
• Provide pain relieve for patients in intensive care units, delivery labor, cancer patients and those with intense chronic pain.
• Record amount and type of anesthesia and pain relievers administered and patient reaction throughout any medical procedure.
• Examine patient’s medical history and perform diagnostic tests to determine allergies and risk in administering anesthesia and pain relievers.
• 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 with surgeons or physicians in administering anesthesia before any surgical operation to determine effective anesthetic or sedation method.

Anesthesiologist Skills and Specifications

• Must have excellent communication skills
• Must have excellent interpersonal and people management skills

Anesthesiologist Education and Qualifications

A doctor with fellowship internship or post graduate studies in anesthesiology and a state license to practice as a doctor is basic.

Anesthesiologist Salary

This mean salary for an Anesthesiologist in 2009 was about $211,750 annually  The highest paying states were Tennessee at $222,800 and Arizona at $226,000 annually.