The main responsibility of an anesthesiologist is to provide sedation and pain relief to patients before, during, and after any diagnostic or surgical procedure. They keep a close watchful eye on the consciousness and vital signs of the patient through the entire procedure and ensure that the patient’s condition is stable immediately after the procedure. In addition to management during surgery, anesthesiologists are also called upon for consultations in pain management in critical care medicine, supervising post-anesthesia recovery and for direct resuscitation in the care of patients experiencing respiratory or cardiac emergencies.
This career requires a lot of education! To be a physician, a person must first obtain a four-year bachelor’s degree in any field of study (while making sure to complete the appropriate pre-med courses). Then, one must attend medical school for another 4 years followed by an additional 3-7 years of training in order to specialize in a particular area of medicine. You must be ready to be in school for a long time to do this!
Overall employment of physicians and surgeons is projected to grow 4 percent from 2019 to 2029, about as fast as the average for all occupations. The growing and aging population is expected to drive overall growth in the demand for physician services.
Most anesthesiologists work in outpatient surgical centers and hospitals. Other job opportunities for anesthesiologists may be found in group and private and practices, academic medical centers, urgent care centers, and in the military.