What does an anesthesiologist assistant do?
The anesthesiologist assistant helps in administering anesthesia to patients who will undergo surgical procedures. In surgery, the assistant works primarily under a head anesthesiologist whenever a patient will experience specific operations. The anesthesiologist is a position that is in demand in many healthcare facilities. An anesthesiologist's added responsibilities are determining the required type of anesthesia to use, learning added techniques, and being updated on medical advancements in this field.
Anesthesiologist assistant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real anesthesiologist assistant resumes:
- Manage use of anesthesia machine and mechanical ventilation.
- Monitor the patient's vital signs, level of anesthesia, and administer anesthesia medication during surgery.
- Prepare daily surgery charts and necessary medical equipment.
- Stock all carts, assist in intubation and procedures
- Assist in staff teaching, certifications, procedures, CPR, etc.
- Administer anesthesia to surgical patients daily in suburban hospital setting.
- Assist anesthesiologists in monitoring of patients and performing anesthetic procedures.
- Provide airway management interventions including tracheal intubation and fiber optics.
- Assist anesthesiologists in performing anesthetic procedures such as epidural and spinal injections.
- Participate in emergency cases by applying resuscitation techniques throughout the medical facility.
- Work with pediatric populations, associate pediatric illness perform suturing orthopedic emergencies fracture care, reduction, splint and cast placement.
- Assist anesthesiologists with arterial, neck lines and swan catheters.
- Provide anesthesia for the surgical population and surgery center.
Anesthesiologist assistant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 23% of Anesthesiologist Assistants are proficient in Patients, OB, and Pain Management. They’re also known for soft skills such as Emotional stability, Problem-solving skills, and Communication skills.
We break down the percentage of Anesthesiologist Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 23%
Assisted anesthesiologists in monitoring of patients and performing anesthetic procedures.
- OB, 17%
Experience in vascular, neuro, ortho, urological and OB cases.
- Pain Management, 10%
Provide different anesthesia -Post-operatory pain management -Post-anesthetic care
- CRNA, 6%
Anticipate and meet the needs of the anesthesiologists and CRNA s. Maintains adequate inventory of equipment, supplies and medications.
- Advanced Life Support, 5%
Assist in the provision of advanced life support techniques including those procedures using high frequency ventilation or intra-arterial cardiovascular assistance devices.
- Intubation, 5%
Stocked all carts, assisted in intubation and procedures
"patients," "ob," and "pain management" are among the most common skills that anesthesiologist assistants use at work. You can find even more anesthesiologist assistant responsibilities below, including:
Emotional stability. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for an anesthesiologist assistant to have is emotional stability. Their role and responsibilities require that "physician assistants, particularly those working in surgery or emergency medicine, should work well under pressure." Anesthesiologist assistants often use emotional stability in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "provided proficient and autonomous monitored anesthesia care to render patients insensible to pain and emotional stress during ophthalmic surgeries"
Problem-solving skills. Many anesthesiologist assistant duties rely on problem-solving skills. "physician assistants need to evaluate patients’ symptoms and administer the appropriate treatments," so an anesthesiologist assistant will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways anesthesiologist assistant responsibilities rely on problem-solving skills: "prepare prescribed solutions and administer local, intravenous, spinal, or other anesthetics following specified methods and procedures. "
Communication skills. This is an important skill for anesthesiologist assistants to perform their duties. For an example of how anesthesiologist assistant responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "physician assistants must explain complex medical issues in a way that patients can understand." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an anesthesiologist assistant: "worked as communication liaison between multiple practices and doctors to coordinate treatment and implement surgical care for patients. ".
Compassion. A big part of what anesthesiologist assistants do relies on "compassion." You can see how essential it is to anesthesiologist assistant responsibilities because "physician assistants deal with patients who are sick or injured and who may be in extreme pain or distress." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical anesthesiologist assistant tasks: "provide compassion customer service to patients and their families. "
Detail oriented. A commonly-found skill in anesthesiologist assistant job descriptions, "detail oriented" is essential to what anesthesiologist assistants do. Anesthesiologist assistant responsibilities rely on this skill because "physician assistants should be observant and have a strong ability to focus when evaluating and treating patients." You can also see how anesthesiologist assistant duties rely on detail oriented in this resume example: "provided team oriented anesthetic care to those receiving complex surgery for various conditions. "
The three companies that hire the most anesthesiologist assistants are:
- Emory Healthcare6 anesthesiologist assistants jobs
- Baylor Scott & White Health4 anesthesiologist assistants jobs
- Cleveland Clinic3 anesthesiologist assistants jobs
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Compare different anesthesiologist assistants
Anesthesiologist assistant vs. Certified registered nurse anesthetist
A Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist administers anesthesia to patients. They work in various healthcare settings, such as operating rooms, dentists and podiatrists offices, birthing centers, and plastic surgery centers.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between anesthesiologist assistants and certified registered nurse anesthetist. For instance, anesthesiologist assistant responsibilities require skills such as "bls," "pediatrics," "crna," and "infection control." Whereas a certified registered nurse anesthetist is skilled in "patient care," "anesthesia care," "ortho," and "informed consent." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Certified registered nurse anesthetists earn the highest salaries when working in the health care industry, with an average yearly salary of $188,323. On the other hand, anesthesiologist assistants are paid more in the government industry with an average salary of $182,725.On average, certified registered nurse anesthetists reach higher levels of education than anesthesiologist assistants. Certified registered nurse anesthetists are 29.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 14.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Anesthesiologist assistant vs. Oral surgery assistant-clinical coordinator
The physician assistant, also known as "PA," is now considered a key player to any healthcare team. Physician assistants are health care professionals who practice medicine under the supervision of licensed physicians. They work on several areas of medicine, from primary care to emergency service and even psychiatry. Neither they are a doctor nor a physician, but their job profile showcases many of these responsibilities. More than as assistants to the doctors, they are also equipped to examine, diagnose, and develop treatment strategies for patients.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, anesthesiologist assistant responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "patients," "ob," "pain management," and "bls." Meanwhile, an oral surgery assistant-clinical coordinator has duties that require skills in areas such as "data entry," "schedule appointments," "dental terminology," and "front desk." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Oral surgery assistant-clinical coordinators earn lower levels of education than anesthesiologist assistants in general. They're 10.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 14.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Anesthesiologist assistant vs. Physician assistant
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, anesthesiologist assistants are more likely to have skills like "ob," "bls," "pediatrics," and "crna." But a physician assistant is more likely to have skills like "diagnostic tests," "surgery," "primary care," and "urgent care."
Physician assistants earn the best pay in the education industry, where they command an average salary of $125,867. Anesthesiologist assistants earn the highest pay from the government industry, with an average salary of $182,725.When it comes to education, physician assistants tend to earn higher degree levels compared to anesthesiologist assistants. In fact, they're 17.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 10.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Anesthesiologist assistant vs. Anesthesia assistant
Types of anesthesiologist assistant
Updated January 8, 2025
