<p>Hey, can anyone tell me what exactly an anesthesiologist does? i have the basic idea..like they put people under for surgery but everything else ive read on the net just confuses me more. oh and i mean like an anesthersiologist whi works for/with a plastic sugeon - what they do. Thanks! :-)</p>
<p>Anesthesiologists are frequently referred to as perioperative physicians. They are engaged in taking care of the entire patient (all body systems), as well as administering appropriate anesthetics during surgery, so the surgeon only concentrates on the surgery, resting assured that the rest of the patient is being taken care of. That being said, there's a lot more to it than that. There is the operating room - general and regional anesthetics administered as well as various fluids, drugs, blood and blood products, line and tube placements and extensive complicated monitoring. Anesthesiologist can also be subspecialty trained in pediatrics, critical care medicine (ICU), pain management - both acute and chronic, obstetrics, transplant medicine, neurosurgical, cardiothoracic. Depends on what you want to do and where you want to do it. You don't generally work for another doctor. Preoperative assessment, patient counseling, choosing and administering appropriate care, and postoperative care and problem solving are included. Training is 4 years of college, 4 years of medical school, 4 years of residency, then optional is 1-2 years of fellowship training in one of the above subspecialties. Hope that helps.</p>
<p>They talk to the patient before/after the surgery, put them under anesthesia, mantain life functions during the operation, etc. Same goes with a anesthesiologist in the OR with a plastic surgeon.</p>
<p>They go hunting, fishing, cultivate orchids... Oh wait. That's not it. What the others said. Or, as my English teacher in sixth grade put it, they keep the patient alive during surgery.</p>
<p>The way it was explained to me: Surgeon does the cutting. Anesthesiologist does everything else. If the patient flat-lines on the table, surgeon gets the heck out of the way so the anesthesiologist can work on bringing the patient back.</p>
<p>ok. thanks to all of you so much. that helped me a lot. now at leats im not clueless about it. but i, taking on the role of the annoying question asker, have another question. lol. if that is what an anesthesiologist does...what does a (excuse my spelling) nurse anesthist do? </p>
<p>P.S.~ thx again toeveryone answering. ^_^</p>
<p>Depending on who you talk to you may hear a CRNA (certified registered nurse anesthetist) does the same thing as an anesthesiologist. Huge differences in training and therefore knowledge base. First and foremost, an anesthesiologist is a physician who gets the same MD as all other physicians, then does at least 4 years of residency. Some do additional training in such subspecialties as pediatric, intensive care or pain management. Most people only see the tip of the iceberg regarding what an anesthesiologist does. The ASA -American Society of Anesthesiologists - website would be a good source of information. If you're considering either being an anesthesiologist or a nurse anesthetist first consider whether you want to be a nurse or a physician- the two fields are radically different in their approach. As an anesthesiologist I can give you a lot more information from a personal standpoint, but do check out the ASA website.</p>
<p>An anesthesiologist is a physician who has an MD then did an anesthesiology residency- currently 4 years of training. A CRNA is a certified registered nurse anesthetist who is an RN who underwent further schooling etc. . Nursing and medicine are two very different approaches to patient care. Over the years I have developed a great respect for good nurses, the two fields are parallel rather than one in charge of the other these days. As an anesthesiologist I am very much aware of the differences in CRNAs and my specialty. Most people only see the tip of the iceberg and may equate the two, the underlying database used to make decisions is vastly different. The ASA -American Society of Anesthesiologists- website is a good place to get further information.</p>
<p>sorry about duplicate replies, my first post didn't show up right away</p>