Nurse anesthetist programs run two to three years and typically require completion of one-year as a critical care nurse prior to admission. Nurse anesthetists complete around 2,500 hours of clinical training but are not required to complete a residency.
By contrast, anesthesiologists are physicians who complete four years of medical school followed by four years of residency and often another one to two years of fellowship to study and become certified in a subspecialty, such as pain management, cardiac anesthesia, pediatric anesthesia, neuroanesthesia, obstetric anesthesia or critical care medicine.
This adds up to between eight and 10 years of post-graduate education. In addition, an anesthesiologist will get 12,000–16,000 patient-care hours—about five to seven times more than a nurse anesthetist.
And here is another definition: “The major difference between these two professions is that anesthesiologists are medical doctors that administer anesthesia, while nurse anesthetists are registered nurses who may assist or collaborate with doctors in administering anesthesia, or may work entirely independently as they administer anesthesia.”
Blogfinger. I was to undergo a procedure which required general anesthesia. This is a form of deep sedation where the anesthesiologist “puts you under” and has control of breathing and other functions such as cardio-circulation and brain. He must perform a meticulous pre-op assessment of your health and medications.
If he misses something, it could substantially increase the risk of dangerous complications during and after surgery. During anesthesia, he is monitoring multiple variables including the administration of multiple drugs given intravenously.
I am in awe of what they do, and when the anesthesiologist came to see me right before the procedure he asked probing questions and was totally absorbed in his assessment as he sought out any fragment of information that might influence my risk.
If I need surgery in the future, I want an anesthesiologist to be in charge, although as long as he is there, he might invite a nurse anesthetist to assist. Four eyes are welcome in that complex situation.
Paul Goldfinger, MD, FACC. Editor. Blogfinger.net