Review allergies and past illnesses
Ask about allergies and past or current illnesses that could change the anesthesia, and explain what comes next.
Career profile
Anesthesiologist Assistant
Anesthesiologist assistants give anesthetic drugs and watch how patients respond throughout an operation or procedure.
Curious about lungs, blood flow and how drugs act in the body? This job puts that curiosity beside surgery, from health history to waking up.
A day in the life
Test the anesthesia machine and monitors
Make sure supplies are stocked and medical gas is on hand before the procedure starts.
Track blood pressure, breathing and pulse
Give anesthetic drugs, and if readings shift, assess the patient and plan the next move with the anesthesiologist.
Follow recovery from anesthesia
Watch and record how the patient wakes, pain control included, and keep the recovery team informed.
Quick facts
Bachelor's + anesthesia master's
United States
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Compare location-specific salary ranges and the hours they cover.
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Look for openings in places where you can obtain practice authorization.
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Bachelor's + anesthesia master'sComplete premedical prerequisites, then graduate anesthesia education with clinical training.
Pay
Not displayedCompare location-specific salary ranges and the hours they cover.
Outlook
Not displayedLook for openings in places where you can obtain practice authorization.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You can keep watching closely even when a procedure seems to be going smoothly.
- You like connecting what a monitor shows with what is happening in a person's body.
- You can speak clearly when other people need information quickly.
Things to weigh
- Small errors can have serious consequences, so careful checking remains part of familiar work.
- You may spend long stretches standing and moving around patients and equipment.
- Some positions include long shifts, evenings, and weekends. Compare the actual schedule before choosing a workplace.
Where AI may help
Electronic records organize patient information, while monitors track changes in the body throughout anesthesia.
What people still lead
You still examine the patient, recognize misleading readings, and communicate what needs attention.
What we can’t predict yet
Researchers are testing ways to adjust anesthesia automatically using brain signals. How broadly those systems can handle different patients and procedures remains uncertain.
Pay in context
Earnings
Compare salary with the schedule, extra-shift pay, and benefits attached to it.
A Colorado salary benchmark
UCHealth advertises $232,960–$305,427 a year for full-time work in Colorado Springs, depending on relevant experience. That is roughly $112–$147 an hour when divided by 2,080 hours—not an advertised hourly rate. Evening and weekend stipends are separate. This is a local salary range, not a national median.
Experience requirements differ
Current recruitment includes a Colorado hospital-system role accepting newly qualified applicants and a North Carolina surgery-center role requiring five years of experience. Check whether an opening fits your stage of practice.
Getting started
Build the prerequisites during college
- What the route involves
- Complete a bachelor's degree and the science courses your target anesthesia programs require.
- What it can lead to
- You can apply to graduate anesthesia programs that combine classroom learning with clinical training.
- What to check
- Check each program's admissions tests, observation requirements, and course rules before choosing classes.
Add prerequisites after an existing degree
- What the route involves
- Compare your transcript with program requirements and complete missing or outdated science courses.
- What it can lead to
- A different undergraduate major can still lead to the same anesthesia master's pathway.
- What to check
- Do not assume previous clinical work shortens the program. Case Western Reserve requires its full curriculum despite prior medical training.
Both starting points lead to the same graduate anesthesia training and certification process.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization. This path also has a credential or licensing boundary; see the requirements and limits.
Get established
Learn your workplace's anesthesia machines, patient records, and emergency routines so you can use your training reliably in that setting.
Broaden your case experience
Build confidence with different operations and patient needs as your role allows. Keep up with continuing education and certification assessments.
Specialize or teach
Develop expertise in areas such as cardiac anesthesia, teach students in clinical placements, or pursue a chief anesthetist role.
Where you can work
Hospitals with varied surgical services
Your cases may range from spine and vascular surgery to obstetrics. Some teams cover trauma facilities and use long shifts with evening or weekend coverage.
- Indoors
- Shift work
- Safety-sensitive
Outpatient surgery centers
A center may focus mainly on orthopedic procedures or offer several surgical specialties. Some anesthesia practices move you among multiple centers, so ask which locations you would cover.
- Indoors
- Safety-sensitive
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Make a paper checklist for an imaginary patient's anesthesia visit: questions about health history on one side, body functions to watch during a procedure on the other. Notice whether connecting the patient's story with breathing and circulation makes you curious to learn more.
Stay safe: Keep this a paper exercise; do not practice medication delivery or airway procedures.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. Anesthesiologist Assistants, 29-1071.01. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational projections and worker characteristics. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Case Western Reserve University. Master of Science in Anesthesia Requirements. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Case Western Reserve University. Master of Science in Anesthesia: Frequently Asked Questions. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Case Western Reserve University. Anesthesia MS. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Case Western Reserve University. Master of Science in Anesthesia Program. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- National Commission for Certification of Anesthesiologist Assistants. Certification Examination Eligibility. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- National Commission for Certification of Anesthesiologist Assistants. Initial Certification Overview. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- National Commission for Certification of Anesthesiologist Assistants. Certification Process and Board. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. 42 CFR 410.69: Anesthesiologist's assistant definitions. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- UCHealth. Anesthesiologist Assistant — Colorado Springs, Colorado. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- East Carolina Anesthesia Associates. Certified Anesthesiologist Assistant — Raleigh, North Carolina. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- American Society of Anesthesiologists. Statement on Certified Anesthesiologist Assistants: Description and Practice. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- A. H. Afshar and colleagues, arXiv. Constructing a control-ready model of EEG signal during general anesthesia in humans. Accessed 2026-10-03.