Anaesthetist Job Description
Being an anaesthetist
Anaesthetists are always needed in almost every department of a hospital, and as such, can expect to provide a wide range of services in a number of different environments. Often, anaesthetists will be called on to perform pain relief such as:
- General anaesthesia, where patients are put under reversible anaesthetic through injection into the blood steam or through inhalation.
- Regional anaesthesia, where drugs are injected to anaesthetise a large area of a patient’s body.
- Local anaesthesia, in order to anaesthetise a smaller area of a patient’s body.
In all cases, anaesthetists’ main responsibility is to block and alleviate pain in patients’ bodies. Most commonly, anaesthetists are needed in the surgery theatre, but besides theatre, you may be called on to provide anaesthetic in:
- Obstetric units
- Critical care services
- Resuscitation services
- Emergency departments
- Chronic pain management
- Acute pain teams
- Dentistry
- Perioperative clinics
- Psychiatry
- Radiology
Without anaesthetic, many important and potentially lifesaving operations and surgeries would not be able to take place, so anaesthetists play a huge role in every medical environment they operate in. If you find your next anaesthetist job with Medacs, you can decide how flexibly you want to work, and whether you want to work in the NHS or private sector, or across both.
Qualifications for anaesthetists
Before applying for anaesthetics jobs, you will need to have a General Medical Council (GMC) recognised medicine degree in addition to a two-year foundational programme. As anaesthetists are specialist medical professionals, you will then need to begin specialty training that can take up to eight years. Following this, you will be awarded a specialty certificate, qualifying you as a consultant.
Key skills for anaesthetists
Anaesthetists are busy and always in demand, so you’re going to need to be capable of working under pressure, staying calm, keeping organised and being able to accurately prioritise a number of different tasks.
Beyond this, you will likely also need to be capable of:
- Making quick decisions
- Having great attention to detail
- Effective communication with patients and their relatives
- Great at working in a team
- Good manual dexterity
- A commitment to lifelong learning
- An interest in different types of surgery, operations, therapies and treatments
Where can the field of anaesthesia take you?
Being an anaesthetist requires you to undergo several years of specialist training and in-person working experience. At the end of these years of medical training, you will be in a position to pursue one of the most popular career pathways for highly trained medical specialists: consulting. As a consultant, you’ll be more heavily involved in the managerial side of hospital departments.
You can also continue to develop further sub-specialisms. Once you have completed your specialty training in anaesthetics, you will be awarded a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT). With this certificate, you could choose to develop a sub-specialty in three areas: pre-hospital emergency medicine, pain medicine and intensive care medicine.
You could also choose a more academic career, where you will be combining your treatment responsibilities with teaching and researching.
What’s next for your career?
Regardless of your level of specialism, experience and working needs, you can find and apply for dozens of new roles with Medacs. We receive more than 1,000 new roles daily, in various locations across the NHS.
Whatever your specific working requirements, when you decide to find your anaesthetist job with Medacs, you’re not just signing up to a role, you’re signing up to receive support, assistance and guidance at every step of the way.
Medacs will help you earn the payment package that’s right for you. We’ll also help with your revalidation and future development with free courses and training.
Moving to the UK
We’ve placed thousands of internationally based healthcare professionals throughout the NHS and numerous health trusts and institutions. Whether you're looking for anaesthetics jobs or something entirely different, Medacs can help you find the right role in the UK. Consult the Moving to the UK page for advice and guidance on how you can move to the UK.
Anaesthetists work in many different areas of a hospital, focusing their primary efforts on alleviating pain for patients in a variety of circumstances. Anaesthetists are one of the most common medical specialists, often making them particularly in demand health professionals within hospital environments.
If you’re looking for your next anaesthetist job, you can find a wide range of temporary and permanent positions with Medacs, so you’re sure to find your next medical role here.
Being an anaesthetist
Anaesthetists are always needed in almost every department of a hospital, and as such, can expect to provide a wide range of services in a number of different environments. Often, anaesthetists will be called on to perform pain relief such as:
- General anaesthesia, where patients are put under reversible anaesthetic through injection into the blood steam or through inhalation.
- Regional anaesthesia, where drugs are injected to anaesthetise a large area of a patient’s body.
- Local anaesthesia, in order to anaesthetise a smaller area of a patient’s body.
In all cases, anaesthetists’ main responsibility is to block and alleviate pain in patients’ bodies. Most commonly, anaesthetists are needed in the surgery theatre, but besides theatre, you may be called on to provide anaesthetic in:
- Obstetric units
- Critical care services
- Resuscitation services
- Emergency departments
- Chronic pain management
- Acute pain teams
- Dentistry
- Perioperative clinics
- Psychiatry
- Radiology
Without anaesthetic, many important and potentially lifesaving operations and surgeries would not be able to take place, so anaesthetists play a huge role in every medical environment they operate in. If you find your next anaesthetist job with Medacs, you can decide how flexibly you want to work, and whether you want to work in the NHS or private sector, or across both.
Qualifications for anaesthetists
Before applying for anaesthetics jobs, you will need to have a General Medical Council (GMC) recognised medicine degree in addition to a two-year foundational programme. As anaesthetists are specialist medical professionals, you will then need to begin specialty training that can take up to eight years. Following this, you will be awarded a specialty certificate, qualifying you as a consultant.
Key skills for anaesthetists
Anaesthetists are busy and always in demand, so you’re going to need to be capable of working under pressure, staying calm, keeping organised and being able to accurately prioritise a number of different tasks.
Beyond this, you will likely also need to be capable of:
- Making quick decisions
- Having great attention to detail
- Effective communication with patients and their relatives
- Great at working in a team
- Good manual dexterity
- A commitment to lifelong learning
- An interest in different types of surgery, operations, therapies and treatments
Where can the field of anaesthesia take you?
Being an anaesthetist requires you to undergo several years of specialist training and in-person working experience. At the end of these years of medical training, you will be in a position to pursue one of the most popular career pathways for highly trained medical specialists: consulting. As a consultant, you’ll be more heavily involved in the managerial side of hospital departments.
You can also continue to develop further sub-specialisms. Once you have completed your specialty training in anaesthetics, you will be awarded a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT). With this certificate, you could choose to develop a sub-specialty in three areas: pre-hospital emergency medicine, pain medicine and intensive care medicine.
You could also choose a more academic career, where you will be combining your treatment responsibilities with teaching and researching.
What’s next for your career?
Regardless of your level of specialism, experience and working needs, you can find and apply for dozens of new roles with Medacs. We receive more than 1,000 new roles daily, in various locations across the NHS.
Whatever your specific working requirements, when you decide to find your anaesthetist job with Medacs, you’re not just signing up to a role, you’re signing up to receive support, assistance and guidance at every step of the way.
Medacs will help you earn the payment package that’s right for you. We’ll also help with your revalidation and future development with free courses and training.
Moving to the UK
We’ve placed thousands of internationally based healthcare professionals throughout the NHS and numerous health trusts and institutions. Whether you're looking for anaesthetics jobs or something entirely different, Medacs can help you find the right role in the UK. Consult the Moving to the UK page for advice and guidance on how you can move to the UK.
