About This Career

Administers anesthetics and analgesics for pain management prior to, during, or after surgery.

This career is part of the Health Science cluster Therapeutic Services pathway.

A person in this career:

• Monitors patient before, during, and after anesthesia and counteracts adverse reactions or complications.
• Records type and amount of anesthesia and patient condition throughout procedure.
• Provides and maintains life support and airway management and helps prepare patients for emergency surgery.
• Administers anesthetic or sedation during medical procedures, using local, intravenous, spinal, or caudal methods.
• Examines patient, obtain medical history, and uses diagnostic tests to determine risk during surgical, obstetrical, and other medical procedures.
• Positions patient on operating table to maximize patient comfort and surgical accessibility.
• Coordinates administration of anesthetics with surgeons during operation.
• Decides when patients have recovered or stabilized enough to be sent to another room or ward or to be sent home following outpatient surgery.
• Confers with other medical professionals to determine type and method of anesthetic or sedation to render patient insensible to pain.
• Orders laboratory tests, x-rays, and other diagnostic procedures.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 10 lbs., sometimes up to 20 lbs. You might do a lot of walking or standing, or you might sit but use your arms and legs to control machines, equipment or tools.
• Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
• Exposure to pollutants, gases, dust, fumes, odors, poor ventilation, etc.
• Exposed to disease and infections more than once a month through work such as patient care, laboratory work, and sanitation control
• Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation requires being inside most of the time
• Exposed to radiation more than once a month
• Work in this occupation involves use of special protective items such as a breathing apparatus, safety harness, full protection suit, or radiation protection

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Seeing clearly at a distance
• Seeing clearly up close
• Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person

Work Hours and Travel

• Irregular hours
• Overtime work
• Weekend work