How to Become an Anesthesiologist's Assistant

Anesthesiologists are an important part of any medical arena. But they need to be aided by assistants in all these important duties. By becoming an assistant to an anesthesiologist, one takes up the responsibility of administering patient care and aiding in several spheres of medical practice.

There are several duties that an anesthesiologist's assistant has to follow through as well which primarily focus on the varied aspects of patient care.

And once you know what he does, the duties that are required to be fulfilled as a result, and how to go about becoming one, it will be easier for you to take the decision of whether venturing in this field of medicine is something that you want to take up.

There is that confusion that stems from the fact whether the assistant only administers anesthesia to the patients. That is not the only duty that an assistant has to follow through. There are several other duties that need to be undertaken by him/her as well.

Some of these duties are:

• Anesthesiologist's assistants work under the supervision of an anesthesiologist and perform all the important duties that come under patient care.
• They carry out preliminary patient care duties that run like so―gathering patient data, carrying forth tests and examinations, like blood and urine tests, and/or taking x rays.

• Their main duty is to learn to administer anesthesia. This is done under the supervision of the main anesthesiologist.
• They may have to monitor the progress of patient(s) and learn the working of various life support equipment forms.
• They have to learn the intricacies of the correct dosage counts and the dangers of administering an extra dose to patients.

There are certain educational prerequisites as well as certain steps by which one can become an anesthesiologist's assistant. Here are some of the requirements that need to be fulfilled.

The first step is to obtain an undergraduate degree that preferably includes subjects that will help in the medical field like chemistry, math, biology, and anatomy. Many prefer to obtain a bachelor's degree in a premedical program.

After earning the baccalaureate degree, the next step is to take up a two-year program that focuses on a certified anesthesiologist program. The program has to be approved by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).

The student has to pass a medical examination to be accepted into the course. Depending on the kind of course that it is, these exams could either be a GRE or MCAT.

The course will focus on administering both, theoretical knowledge and practical training. It will tackle subjects like anatomy, physiology, cell biology and different clinical methods among others, as well as focus on clinical and practical knowledge, like administering different forms of anesthesia.

After the two-year program has been completed, a certification from the National Commission for Certification of Anesthesiologist Assistants (NCCAA) has to be attained. This is what will allow one to practice in hospitals and other medical fields under a certified anesthesiologist.

Many anesthesiologist assistants go on to study further and become professional anesthesiologists themselves.