Occupation · SOC 29-1071.01
Anesthesiologist Assistants
Assist anesthesiologists in the administration of anesthesia for surgical and non-surgical procedures. Monitor patient status and provide patient care during surgical treatment.
Median wage
$133,260
$95,240–$182,200
Projected growth
+20.3%
Faster than average
Annual openings
3,320
per year
Employed (US)
155,540
Job Zone 5
Typical preparation
Extensive preparation
Stackable credential programs
83 mapped
Core skills
Active ListeningMonitoringReading ComprehensionJudgment and Decision MakingSpeakingCritical ThinkingActive LearningTime Management
Knowledge areas
Medicine and DentistryEnglish LanguageChemistryCustomer and Personal ServiceMathematics
Technology & tools
Medical softwareElectronic mail softwareData base user interface and query softwareSpreadsheet softwareOffice suite software
Representative tasks
Provide airway management interventions including tracheal intubation, fiber optics, or ventilary suRespond to emergency situations by providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), basic cardiac lifeVerify availability of operating room supplies, medications, and gases.
Competency framework
Skill expectations by proficiency level.
emerging
Airway management equipment — identify and prepare under direct supervising anesthesiologist guidance in an operating room setting.Tracheal intubation procedures — perform foundational steps with close attending oversight during scheduled surgical cases.Anesthesia delivery systems — pretest and calibrate using established checklists under direct supervision before each surgical procedure.Operating room supplies, medications, and gases — verify availability by following standardized inventory protocols prior to case start.Basic cardiac life support interventions — execute BLS protocols under supervising direction during simulated or real emergency scenarios.Patient monitoring parameters — observe and report deviations in vital signs to the supervising anesthesiologist throughout routine cases.Anesthesia-related pharmacology literature — read and summarize clinical guidelines under direction to support case preparation.Professional development seminars and workshops — attend and document learning outcomes as part of supervised continuing education requirements.Electronic medical records and anesthesia software — enter patient data and anesthesia records under supervision following facility protocols.Pre-anesthetic patient assessments — assist in collecting history and physical data under direct attending guidance in a preoperative care unit.
developing
Airway management interventions including fiber-optic techniques — perform routinely with reduced oversight across a range of elective surgical cases.Advanced cardiac life support protocols — apply ACLS algorithms independently during intraoperative emergencies in adult surgical patients.Anesthesia machine calibration and troubleshooting — conduct pre-case system checks and resolve common equipment faults without prompting in a busy OR environment.Pediatric advanced life support interventions — execute PALS protocols with confidence during pediatric surgical emergencies under general attending availability.Intraoperative patient monitoring — interpret multi-parameter data streams and adjust anesthetic agents within established care plans in standard surgical settings.Operating room medication reconciliation — manage controlled substance counts and documentation in compliance with institutional and regulatory requirements.Ventilatory support management — initiate and adjust mechanical ventilation settings for patients with routine pulmonary considerations across varied surgical specialties.Clinical practice guidelines — analyze new anesthesiology literature and integrate evidence-based updates into daily case management.Interdisciplinary surgical team communication — coordinate patient status updates and handoffs clearly and concisely in high-paced perioperative environments.Inventory management software — use digital systems to track and reorder anesthesia supplies, ensuring readiness across multiple scheduled ORs.
proficient
Complex airway management — autonomously execute advanced intubation techniques including video laryngoscopy and fiber-optic nasotracheal approaches for high-risk or anatomically difficult patients.Full-spectrum emergency response — lead CPR, ACLS, and PALS interventions independently during unexpected intraoperative crises across surgical and obstetric environments.Non-routine anesthesia delivery system failures — diagnose and resolve critical equipment malfunctions mid-procedure, ensuring uninterrupted patient safety in tertiary-care ORs.High-acuity patient anesthetic plans — develop and execute individualized anesthesia strategies for patients with complex comorbidities across cardiac, neurological, and trauma cases.Intraoperative critical decision-making — apply deductive and inductive reasoning to rapidly interpret deteriorating physiologic data and institute corrective interventions autonomously.Multimodal analgesia and regional anesthesia techniques — perform nerve blocks and epidural placements independently across acute pain service cases in a hospital setting.Anesthesiology knowledge currency — evaluate emerging pharmacological agents, monitoring technologies, and clinical trial findings and translate insights into updated practice standards.Perioperative patient safety audits — independently review adverse event data, identify systemic risks, and implement corrective protocols within a department quality program.Cross-disciplinary clinical coordination — serve as primary anesthesia liaison with surgical, critical care, and nursing teams to optimize perioperative patient outcomes.Advanced documentation and reporting — produce comprehensive anesthesia records, incident reports, and outcome analyses using medical software and database tools in compliance with accreditation standards.
advanced
Anesthesia practice standards — establish and champion evidence-based clinical protocols across a multi-site health system, driving measurable improvements in patient safety outcomes.Organizational emergency preparedness — design and oversee institution-wide ACLS, PALS, and crisis resource management training programs for anesthesia and perioperative staff.Anesthesia workforce development — mentor and evaluate anesthesiologist assistant students and new practitioners through structured competency-based progression frameworks.Strategic equipment procurement — lead system-level evaluation, selection, and implementation of anesthesia delivery technologies and monitoring platforms aligned with organizational goals.Quality and performance improvement — direct departmental quality assurance initiatives, analyze aggregate outcome metrics, and present findings to hospital leadership for resource allocation decisions.Regulatory and credentialing leadership — guide institutional compliance with state licensing, CMS, and Joint Commission standards governing anesthesia practice across the enterprise.Research and scholarship — design and lead clinical research studies on anesthesia interventions, disseminating findings through peer-reviewed publications and national conference presentations.Interdisciplinary executive collaboration — represent the anesthesia profession at health system leadership councils, shaping perioperative policy and budget priorities at an organizational level.Continuing medical education program design — develop and deliver advanced CME curricula in anesthesiology for practitioners across regional professional networks and academic institutions.Health informatics strategy — direct the optimization of anesthesia information management systems and electronic health record integration to support data-driven clinical and administrative decision-making.
Also known as
11 alternate job titles map to this occupation.
Anesthesiologists' AssistantAnesthesia TechnologistOperating Room TechnicianCertified Anesthesia TechnicianAnesthesiologist AssistantAnesthesia AssistantPhysician AssistantCertified Anesthesiologist AssistantCardiothoracic Anesthesia TechnicianAnesthesia TechnicianAnesthesia Specialist