How to hire an anesthesia technician

How to hire an anesthesia technician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step anesthesia technician hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an anesthesia technician job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new anesthesia technician
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an anesthesia technician do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The anesthesia technician hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

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   Hiring the perfect anesthesia technician also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of anesthesia technicians and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Anesthesia Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Anesthesia Technician	Surgical technologists, also called operating room technicians, assist in surgical operations. They prepare operating rooms, arrange equipment, and help doctors during surgeries.	$14-25
   MRI Technologist	Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technologists are medical professionals who manage everything involved in the MRI machine. They operate the machines to get scans of the patients' brain, spinal cord, or muscles, which would help doctors identify or diagnose clients' illnesses and diseases... Show more	$20-66
   Operating Room Technician	An operating room technician is responsible for assisting in the operating room procedures, ensuring the cleanliness and orderliness of the room, inspecting the condition of machines before the operation, and preparing medical tools and equipment accordingly. Operating room technicians guide the patients throughout the surgical procedures, instructing them as necessary regarding the processes... Show more	$16-38

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Patient Care
   • BLS
   • Anesthesia Tech
   • Surgery
   • IV
   • CPR
   • Catheter
   • Intubation
   • Anesthesia Machines
   • EKG
   • Direct Supervision
   • CRNA
   • Sterile Technique

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Assess vitals, apply splints and other orthopedic devices, perform wind care, phlebotomy and EKG's.
   • Maintain an unobstruct operative field, using surgical retractors, sponges, or suctioning and irrigating equipment.
   • Provide appropriate life-saving care and assist veterinarian in triage emergency cases.
   • Provide anesthesia technician services to patients under the direct supervision of a license anesthesia care provider designate by the client facility.
   • Assist anesthesiologists in preparing patients for local or general anesthesia in the areas of main surgery, outpatient surgery and labor/delivery.
   • Scrub minor ENT, GYN, and Ortho procedures.

   More anesthesia technician duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the anesthesia technician job description is a good way to get more applicants. An anesthesia technician salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for an anesthesia technician in Alabama may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level anesthesia technician. Additionally, an anesthesia technician with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average anesthesia technician salary

   $39,640yearly

   $19.06 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level anesthesia technician salary

   $30,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 19, 2026

   Average anesthesia technician salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$55,161	$27
   2	Washington	$49,566	$24
   3	New York	$49,264	$24
   4	Oregon	$47,551	$23
   5	Nevada	$45,133	$22
   6	Illinois	$45,120	$22
   7	New Jersey	$44,219	$21
   8	Minnesota	$43,967	$21
   9	Maine	$42,645	$21
   10	Michigan	$42,139	$20
   11	New Hampshire	$41,786	$20
   12	Massachusetts	$41,329	$20
   13	Wisconsin	$40,332	$19
   14	Georgia	$39,987	$19
   15	Arizona	$39,933	$19
   16	Hawaii	$39,789	$19
   17	Oklahoma	$38,684	$19
   18	Colorado	$38,631	$19
   19	Texas	$37,973	$18
   20	Tennessee	$37,343	$18

   Average anesthesia technician salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Children's Hospital Los Angeles	$51,921	$24.96	5
   2	Brigham and Women's Hospital	$50,746	$24.40	52
   3	Massachusetts General Hospital	$50,386	$24.22
   4	The University of Chicago	$50,374	$24.22	17
   5	University of California-Berkeley	$49,592	$23.84	1
   6	Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company	$48,635	$23.38
   7	University of California	$48,617	$23.37	40
   8	Lawrence General Hospital	$48,479	$23.31	20
   9	UC Merced	$48,414	$23.28
   10	Medical University of South Carolina	$47,935	$23.05	35
   11	UMass Memorial Health	$47,866	$23.01	42
   12	Children's Hospital Colorado	$47,181	$22.68	5
   13	Portneuf Medical Center	$46,987	$22.59	6
   14	Health Alliance	$46,711	$22.46	34
   15	Parkland Hospital	$46,690	$22.45	3
   16	Baptist Health Home Care	$46,432	$22.32	29
   17	Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare	$45,954	$22.09	7
   18	Mount Auburn Hospital	$45,940	$22.09
   19	Oregon Health & Science University	$45,540	$21.89	5
   20	Methodist Health System	$45,154	$21.71	35

4. Writing an anesthesia technician job description

   An anesthesia technician job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an anesthesia technician job description:

   Anesthesia technician job description example

   **This is a full time position working at Northwest Medical Center.**
   
   **Great opportunity for experienced Anes. Tech in the Main OR at NWMC. Prefer 1 - 2 years exp. Hours are negotiable. Call required.**
   
   Assists Anesthesiologist by setting-up equipment and preparing medications. Orders, stocks, tests, and maintains anesthesia supplies, medications, and equipment. Washes and sterilizes re-usable equipment and reports malfunctioning equipment to appropriate personnel. Relies on limited experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. Performs a variety of tasks. Works under general supervision. A certain degree of creativity and latitude is required. Typically reports to a supervisor or manager.
   **Position Qualification/Minimum Requirements**
   
   **Education** : HS diploma or equivalent.
   
   **Required** : Completion of Anesthesia Tech, EMT, Certified Nursing Asst. or Surgical Tech course.
   
   **Preferred** : EKG course
   
   **Experience:**
   
   Two (2) years anesthesia technician experience preferred.
   
   **Licenses/Certifications:**
   
   **Required** : American heart Association (AHA) or American Red Cross (ARC) **BLS**
   
   **Preferred:** American Heart Association (AHA) or American Red Cross (ARC) **ACLS & PALS**
   
   **Preferred:** Cer. A.T. or Cer. A.T.T
   
   _Northwest Medical Center is comprised of a 300-bed hospital, four urgent care facilities, a freestanding emergency center and a large physician group, offering you a variety of settings in which to work. Every location is dedicated to providing safe, quality patient care, but more than that is the commitment to employees. It strives to provide a culture of teamwork, respect and appreciation for all staff, whether they care for patients directly or work in a support role. With employee appreciation celebrations throughout the year, opportunities for growth and the satisfaction that you are part of a hospital leading the way with accessible, convenient healthcare in Tucson, Northwest is a great place to work. NMC is accredited by The Joint Commission and is an equal opportunity employer: race, gender, disability and Veteran status, and VEVRAA Federal Contractor - priority referral Protected Veterans requested._
   
   Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
   
   The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find anesthesia technicians for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any anesthesia technicians they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level anesthesia technicians with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your anesthesia technician job on Zippia to find and recruit anesthesia technician candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit anesthesia technicians, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new anesthesia technician

   Once you have selected a candidate for the anesthesia technician position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new anesthesia technician. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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