About This Career

Assists anesthesiologists in the administration of anesthesia for surgical and non-surgical procedures. Monitors patient status and provides patient care during surgical treatment.

This career is part of the Health Science cluster Therapeutic Services pathway.

A person in this career:

• Responds to emergency situations by providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), basic cardiac life support (BLS), advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), or pediatric advanced life support (PALS).
• Provides airway management interventions including tracheal intubation, fiber optics, or ventilary support.
• Verifies availability of operating room supplies, medications, and gases.
• Pretests and calibrates anesthesia delivery systems and monitors.
• Participates in seminars, workshops, or other professional activities to keep abreast of developments in anesthesiology.
• Controls anesthesia levels during procedures.
• Assists anesthesiologists in monitoring of patients, including electrocardiogram (EKG), direct arterial pressure, central venous pressure, arterial blood gas, hematocrit, or routine measurement of temperature, respiration, blood pressure or heart rate.
• Administers blood, blood products, or supportive fluids.
• Collects and documents patients' pre-anesthetic health histories.
• Assists in the provision of advanced life support techniques including those procedures using high frequency ventilation or intra-arterial cardiovascular assistance devices.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 10 lbs., sometimes up to 20 lbs. You might do a lot of walking or standing, or you might sit but use your arms and legs to control machines, equipment or tools.
• Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
• Exposure to pollutants, gases, dust, fumes, odors, poor ventilation, etc.
• Exposed to disease and infections more than once a month through work such as patient care, laboratory work, and sanitation control
• Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation requires being inside most of the time
• Exposed to radiation more than once a month
• Work in this occupation involves use of special protective items such as a breathing apparatus, safety harness, full protection suit, or radiation protection
• Work in this occupation involves standing more than one-third of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Identifying color and seeing differences in color, including shades and brightness
• Seeing clearly up close
• Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person

Work Hours and Travel

• Irregular hours
• Weekend work