Anesthesiologists

Administer anesthetics during surgery or other medical procedures.

Tasks

• Administer anesthetic or sedation during medical procedures, using local, intravenous, spinal, or caudal methods.
• Monitor patient before, during, and after anesthesia and counteract adverse reactions or complications.
• Provide and maintain life support and airway management and help prepare patients for emergency surgery.
• Record type and amount of anesthesia and patient condition throughout procedure.
• Examine patient, obtain medical history, and use diagnostic tests to determine risk during surgical, obstetrical, and other medical procedures.
• Position patient on operating table to maximize patient comfort and surgical accessibility.
• Decide when patients have recovered or stabilized enough to be sent to another room or ward or to be sent home following outpatient surgery.
• Coordinate administration of anesthetics with surgeons during operation.
• Confer with other medical professionals to determine type and method of anesthetic or sedation to render patient insensible to pain.
• Coordinate and direct work of nurses, medical technicians, and other health care providers.
• Order laboratory tests, x-rays, and other diagnostic procedures.
• Diagnose illnesses, using examinations, tests, and reports.
• Manage anesthesiological services, coordinating them with other medical activities and formulating plans and procedures.
• Provide medical care and consultation in many settings, prescribing medication and treatment and referring patients for surgery.
• Inform students and staff of types and methods of anesthesia administration, signs of complications, and emergency methods to counteract reactions.
• Schedule and maintain use of surgical suite, including operating, wash-up, waiting rooms, and anesthetic and sterilizing equipment.
• Instruct individuals and groups on ways to preserve health and prevent disease.
• Conduct medical research to aid in controlling and curing disease, to investigate new medications, and to develop and test new medical techniques.

Abilities

• Problem Sensitivity

  The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

• Oral Comprehension

  The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

• Deductive Reasoning

  The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

• Inductive Reasoning

  The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

• Near Vision

  The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

• Oral Expression

  The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

• Written Comprehension

  The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

• Speech Clarity

  The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

• Speech Recognition

  The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

• Information Ordering

  The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

• Selective Attention

  The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.

• Flexibility of Closure

  The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.

• Arm-Hand Steadiness

  The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.

• Written Expression

  The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

• Perceptual Speed

  The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.

Knowledge

• Medicine and Dentistry

  Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

• Biology

  Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

• English Language

  Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

• Customer and Personal Service

  Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

• Psychology

  Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

• Chemistry

  Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

Skills

• Reading Comprehension

  Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

• Critical Thinking

  Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

• Operation Monitoring

  Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

• Active Listening

  Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

• Monitoring

  Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

• Complex Problem Solving

  Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

• Active Learning

  Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

• Science

  Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

• Operation and Control

  Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

• Equipment Selection

  Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.

• Judgment and Decision Making

  Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

• Coordination

  Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

• Time Management

  Managing one's own time and the time of others.

• Speaking

  Talking to others to convey information effectively.

• Troubleshooting

  Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.

• Writing

  Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

• Service Orientation

  Actively looking for ways to help people.

• Learning Strategies

  Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

• Instructing

  Teaching others how to do something.

• Social Perceptiveness

  Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

• Equipment Maintenance

  Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.

• Management of Personnel Resources

  Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.

• Mathematics

  Using mathematics to solve problems.

• Quality Control Analysis

  Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

• Persuasion

  Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

Detailed information about this career can be found at the ONET Online website.