By: Isabela Gee
While its name appears to be unfamiliar among people, the role of an anesthesiologist in the medical field bears utmost importance. Anesthesiology, by definition, is described as the “medical speciality concerned with the total perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery.” An anesthesiologist is fully equipped with a vast knowledge of anesthetics (or drugs) related to all sorts of medical procedures in order to guarantee that the pain a patient undergoes during the procedure is completely eliminated or minimized. They treat patients of all ages, from premature infants to the elderly. Most importantly, they also make adjustments to their decisions based on medical conditions a patient may have and the effects of said condition throughout an operation.
Anesthesiology is a medical specialty that focuses on ensuring that a patient experiences little to no pain from the time that they are admitted to during a surgery, medical procedure, and even after the operation to prevent potential complications that may arise. To prevent this from occurring, the anesthesiologist will meet with both the patient and surgeon to coordinate and organize the anesthetic plan for the operation. During this time, they will also assess whether the patient’s state of health is in a condition fit to undergo the operation. The procedure may be prolonged or even cancelled. Once the procedure takes place, the anesthesiologist is responsible for regulating and adjusting the anesthetics administered to the patient throughout the duration of the operation.
There are a couple of ways in which anesthesia serves different functions. General anesthesia or better known as “putting a patient under” places the patient into a state of unconsciousness which is then controlled by the anesthesiologist moving forward. This is regulated through an IV. Another form known as local anesthesia is administered through an injection and is usually used for small areas of the body. Lastly, regional anesthesia is utilized to numb a larger portion of the body that is affected or being operated on such as an arm or leg. This type of anesthesia is often useful for orthopedic surgeries including epidurals which are commonly administered for pregnancies.
Following a patient’s procedure, they are transferred to a postanesthesia care unit (PACU) or otherwise known as a “Recovery Room”, where a perianesthesia nurse and an on-call anesthesiologist will carefully monitor their condition as they resurface from the anesthetics’ effects. Some factors they keep track off during this period of time include circulation, level of consciousness, and blood circulation. Additionally, the anesthesiologist will try to minimize the patient’s pain post operation.
Contrary to popular belief and the television’s portrayal, the workplace of an anesthesiologist is not limited to just the operating room. They do not simply sit in the operation room and watch a surgery take place, as many episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy” have shown. In fact, they also tend to patients in several other areas of the hospital, such as the intensive care unit(ICU), the maternity unit, and the chronic pain clinic.
Many are oblivious to just how crucial anesthesiology is to the medical field. Anesthesiologists are the physicians that guarantee that your medical procedure runs safely, smoothly, and of course, painlessly. Additionally, they are the only physicians that are fully knowledgeable on properly handling the drugs that put you to sleep. Without them, it would be far more difficult for doctors to safely carry out an operation while simultaneously ensuring the comfort of a patient. Properly managing pain after a procedure is also crucial towards the well-being of a patient. Not only does it reduce the risk of serious complications post-op such as heart attacks, but physical therapy can become less of a struggle as well which leads to more desirable outcomes following orthopedic procedures.
The road to becoming a board certified anesthesiologist is a long but rewarding one. This road begins during high school where students interested in this medical field are encouraged to enroll in advanced science courses.Next, prospective students complete a pre-med program, which is generally about four years. Chemistry, biology, physics and calculus are classes that students studying anesthesiology should take throughout this program.
Upon graduation of a pre-med program, students would then apply for medical school, which is known to be incredibly competitive. Before applying, students are required to take the MCAT, or the Medical College Admission Test. When applying for medical school, students submit a variety of material, including their MCAT scores, transcripts, and letters of recommendation. The first half of medical school involves in class learning, where instruction primarily takes place in classrooms and laboratories. In the second portion of medical school, students gain valuable experience with patients by working alongside knowledgeable senior physicians. This is made possible through clinical rotations in areas such as psychiatry, pediatrics and obstetrics.
Finally, an aspiring anesthesiologist will complete their final qualifications through a four year (or possibly longer) period of training known as a residency. The anesthesiology residency program provides a comprehensive overview of all possible areas in which anesthetics are administered. This pertains to organizations that deal with more specific areas in anesthetics, like pain medicine, research, and critical care. During this residency, at least a year is spent focusing on internal medicine areas: respirology and cardiology. Along with this, students will spend approximately half a year in critical care units including coronary, pediatric, and adult intensive care. Throughout the entire residency, students will expect to have gained an extensively thorough understanding of the physiology of the human body, or in other words, how the body functions. At the end of an anesthesiology residency program, students will possess complete knowledge regarding not just anesthetics but also critical care, pain management, and resuscitation. Following a student’s residency, they take the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada specialty examinations (Canada) or the American Board of Anesthesiology exam (USA) to become a fully certified anesthesiologist. Universities such as John Hopkins and UPENN offer top ranking anesthesiology programs.
While the role of anesthesiology in medicine is not widely known, after reading this, I hope you all may see that it is certainly a necessary asset to the medical world.
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