Anesthesiology is the practice of medicine dedicated to the relief of pain and total care of the surgical patient before, during and after surgery.

The education of today's anesthesiologists has kept pace with their expanding role in offering the highest quality health care available anywhere in the world. After completing a four-year college program and four years of medical school, they enter a four-year anesthesiology residency training program. Fellowships in an anesthesia subspecialty and in education or research may also be taken for an additional year.

More than 90 percent of the active membership of the American Society of Anesthesiologists have been certified as diplomates of the American Board of Anesthesiology. Anesthesiologists are physicians who, after college, have graduated from an accredited medical school and have successfully completed an approved residency in Anesthesiology.

Anesthesiologists' responsibilities to patients include:

•Preanesthetic evaluation and treatment;
•Medical management of patients and their anesthetic procedures;
•Postanesthetic evaluation and treatment;

•On-site medical direction of any nonphysician who assists in the technical aspects of anesthesia care to the patient

Scope of Practice

The medical expertise of this specialist has caused a dramatic expansion of the role of the anesthesiologist. Although historically, anesthesiologists have been known primarily as physicians who administer anesthesia to alleviate pain and suppress consciousness of the patient undergoing surgery, they also provide medical care and consultations in many other settings and situations in addition to the operating room.

The anesthesiologist is the perioperative physician ("peri-" meaning "all-around") who provides medical care to each patient throughout his or her surgical experience. This includes medically evaluating the patient before surgery (preoperative), consulting with the surgical team, providing pain control and support of life functions during surgery (intraoperative), supervising care after surgery (postoperative) and medically discharging the patient from the recovery unit.

In the operating room:

An estimated 25 million anesthetics are administered each year in this country. Anesthesiologists provide or participate in more than 90 percent of these anesthetics. In the operating room, they are responsible for the medical management and anesthetic care of the patient throughout the duration of the surgery. The anesthesiologist must carefully match the anesthetic needs of each patient to that patient's medical condition, responses to anesthesia and the requirements of the surgery.

Within the confines of the operating room suite, which is often comprised of several separate operating rooms, the activities of the anesthesiologist are seen by few people outside of the surgical and nursing team. Even the patients themselves are unable to recall much of their involvement with this vital specialist because most of the anesthesiologist's critical work is done while the patient is anesthetized! The role of the anesthesiologist in the operating room is to: 1 ) provide continual medical assessment of the patient; 2) monitor and control the patient's vital life functions--heart rate and rhythm, breathing, blood pressure, body temperature and body fluid balance; and 3) control the patient's pain and level of unconsciousness to make conditions ideal for a safe and successful surgery.

In addition to direct patient care, the anesthesiologist is often responsible for managing the resources of the operating suite, including the efficient use of operating rooms, supplies, equipment and personnel.

Disclaimer: Parts of this website were excerpted from the websites of the California Society of Anesthesiologists, Florida Society of Anesthesiologists, Illinois State Society of Anesthesiologists and Texas Society of Anesthesiologists