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What is an anesthesiologist and critical care and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

A critical care anesthesiologist is a health professional who cares for patients who have had recent surgery or who have suffered from the effects of trauma or injury. These professionals monitor the post-operative care of patients, such as post-operative cardiac surgical patients, post-operative ICU patients, or patients who have undergone abdominal or orthopedic surgery. Critical care anesthesiologists are responsible for managing the peri-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative periods of anesthesia for critical patients, ensuring that these patients undergo surgery safely and without anesthetic complications.

A critical care anesthesiologist can work in a hospital, clinic, or teaching hospital and should possess excellent communication, interpersonal, analytical, and troubleshooting skills, as well as expert knowledge in anesthesia and patient recovery.

The anesthesiologist works closely with surgical, nursing, and other hospital staff and manages the anesthetic protocols for each patient. These professionals are responsible for ensuring that critical care patients undergo adequate anesthesia and smooth recovery during a procedure.

Critical care anesthesiologists are medical doctors who have a degree in anesthesiology, as well as a license to practice medicine. Most have a bachelor's in biology or chemistry, a medical degree, and have completed a residency in anesthesia and critical care. Depending on the place of employment, critical care anesthesiologists can make up to $500,000 per year in the US.

ScoreAnesthesiologist And Critical CareUS Average
Salary
9.7

Avg. Salary $181,517

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
10.0

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
1.7
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.16%

Asian 20.39%

Black or African American 3.92%

Hispanic or Latino 6.52%

Unknown 4.11%

White 64.90%

Gender

female 52.00%

male 48.00%

Age - 48
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48
Stress level
10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
9.9

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
3.1

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an anesthesiologist and critical care

  1. Explore anesthesiologist and critical care education requirements

    Most common anesthesiologist and critical care degrees

    Doctorate

    27.3 %

    Associate

    18.2 %

    Bachelor's

    18.2 %
  2. Start to develop specific anesthesiologist and critical care skills

    SkillsPercentages
    ICU74.27%
    Medical Care9.25%
    Acls8.72%
    Diagnostic Tests5.82%
    Life Support1.94%
  3. Research anesthesiologist and critical care duties and responsibilities

    • Monitor patients before, during, and after anesthesia and counteract adverse reactions or complications as necessary.
    • Moderate amount of ultrasound-guid regional anesthesia; currently undergoing regional- relate CME.
  4. Apply for anesthesiologist and critical care jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for an anesthesiologist and critical care job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first anesthesiologist and critical care job

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Average anesthesiologist and critical care salary

The average anesthesiologist and critical care salary in the United States is $181,517 per year or $87 per hour. Anesthesiologist and critical care salaries range between $47,000 and $694,000 per year.

Average anesthesiologist and critical care salary
$181,517 Yearly
$87.27 hourly

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Anesthesiologist and critical care reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019
Pros

Almost everything

Cons

The certain people that are dramatic of scared when they go but I deal with it.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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