What you need to know to become an Anaesthesiologist

The life and career working in anaesthesiology can be incredibly engaging, demanding and fulfilling. Anaesthesiologists being well-versed medical professionals have a variety of different responsibilities and objectives to face on a daily basis, other than the surgeon the anaesthesiologist is one of the crucial roles in an operating room.

Role of Anaesthesiologist

One of the main focuses and responsibilities of the anaesthesiologist would be to meet with a patient before an operation or treatment to verify their health and preparedness for surgery, as well as carrying out the administration of anaesthesia to reduce potential pain and discomfort before, during and after surgery. They will also monitor the bodily functions to ensure everything is working correctly, as well as overseeing pain management and safe recovery after post procedure.

Unlike most medical professionals’ anaesthesiologists are the closest to working normal scheduled hours, however, emergency do arise so they will need to be available up until post-surgery to ensure safe recovery and pain management. Anaesthesiologists usually work within hospital facilities and/or surgical outpatient centres, they could have ample opportunity to work, directly or indirectly, with those in private practices, army-based or military departments and urgent care or academic medical centres.

What you’ll need

An anaesthesiologist are doctors, therefore, you’ll need to take a 4 year undergraduate degree, followed by 4 years at medical school.  order to become a fully qualified anaesthesiologist, the first thing needed is a bachelor’s degree in the field. The main objective is obviously enrolling in university, with the chosen undergraduate course helping to establish and build a strong and broad foundation of knowledge of the sciences.

University degrees, particularly those related to the medical field, usually take four years to complete, with the 2 initial years primarily consisting of learning in either a laboratory or classroom environment, followed by the final years within a clinical practice under the eye of medical professionals in a large variety of health care scenarios and settings.

Once finishing university, a prospective and aspiring anaesthesiologist would then undergo 4 years in residency training. This includes training with extremely capable and competent medical faculty to learn and best utilise the chosen speciality. In some cases, individuals would follow up their residency training with a fellowship to further refine their anaesthesiology knowledge specialities and gain any preferred board certification or licensure.

All in all, with 4 years of bachelors, 4 years of residency, and their fellowship work, it could take more than 10 years to become a fully qualified and established anaesthesiologist.

Key factors

In terms of global demand, there has always been a growing need for anaesthesiologist. Given a rapidly increasing global population there is always the requirement of medical professionals, it is estimated that job growth and opportunities for anaesthesiologists will increase by 10% to even 20% over the next 5-10 years. Furthermore, with incredible strides being made in the accessibility and need for technological advancements, anaesthesiologist will be capable of performing increasingly more intricate and complex procedures and duties.

For further information on anaesthesiologists useful organisation links

https://www.rcoa.ac.uk/about-college

https://anaesthetists.org/

https://www.niaa.org.uk/

Also when looking for a new role in the UK or abroad, have a look at our healthcare positions.