Anesthesiologist Assistant Careers
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What an Anesthesiologist Assistant does:
An anesthesiologist or anaesthesiologist, known in Europe as an anesthetist, is a medical doctor trained to administer anesthesia and manage the medical care of patients before, during, and after surgery.
Anesthesiologist assistants (AAs) are physician assistant specialists, who work under the direction of licensed anesthesiologists to develop and implement anesthesia care plans.
Anesthesiologist Assistants can work in public and private hospitals, in the obstetrical departments, ambulatory centers, or physician's offices. They can also work in clinics and other outpatient centers.
The main duties of an Anesthesiologist Assistant are similar to that of a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) and include:
- Working closely with the surgical team and other healthcare professionals
- Assisting with pain relief in the delivering of babies
- Providing preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative care to patients
- Monitoring patients postoperatively to ensure recovery from anesthesia
Education & Qualifications:
To become an Anesthesiologist Assistant, you will need to complete a 4 year Baccalaureate degree program with courses in the following: Biology, Anatomy, Physiology, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, General Physics, Mathematics. You can then apply to an accredited Anesthesiologist Assistant program.
Anesthesiologist assistants receive training in anesthesia care and advanced patient monitoring techniques as part of their Education. Applicants must pass the MCAT and/or GRE admission tests.
Upon completion of the anesthesiologist assistant training program, the anesthesiologist assistant may apply for initial certification which is administered by the National Commission for Certification of Anesthesiologist Assistants (NCCAA) in collaboration with the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). After successfully completing this examination Anesthesiologist Assistants are permitted to use the AA-C credential to indicate that they are currently certified.
Salary & Job Prospects:
Anesthesiologist Assistants earn salaries between $90,000 - $120,000 depending on location, qualifications and experience. As the entire healthcare sector is experiencing job growth, the job prospects for Anesthesiologist Assistants are excellent. Also due to cost saving measures by many health care providers Anesthesiologist Assistants are gaining more of the responsibilities traditionally held by Anesthesiologists.
Below is a list of some of the various types of allied health careers / professions: