developments in the practice of modern medicine has been the discovery and the development of anesthetic techniques for surgery.The discovery of anesthesia has opened up entire branches of medicine, and one would be hard pressed to find a single individual who has had surgery who is not thankful for the application of an anesthetic to make the procedure either tolerable or blissfully painless. Most of us look at the prospect of major surgery with a mixture of anxiety and horror, and simply, we simply cannot imagine the days when people would have to undergo an invasive procedure and make do with a belt or rubberized stick. Since anesthesiologists are in short supply, it is a field of medicine that has high demand, and it is also one of the most lucrative jobs in the medical field.
The word anesthesia comes from the Greek words meaning “without sensation” and is specifically the delivery of drugs that reduce or remove the sensation of pain. An anesthesiologist is the individual responsible for this in the medical room. Specifically, the anesthesiologist is a trained medical doctor who specializes in anesthesiology. They go through the same educational and residency requirements as other doctors, in addition to the residency requirements required for their specialization.
In the United States, the anesthesiologist focuses on pain management, which is a broader conception of the idea of pain than simply pain relief. The anesthesiologist knows that understanding pain is complex, and the application of drugs in association with pain relief often depends on the circumstances and health of the individual, which is one of the reasons why it is such a specialized field.
As stated before, the anesthesiologist administers the drugs that have the effect of reducing or eliminating the feeling of pain during a procedure. This can be in a very minor operation or in full-blown open body surgery. During surgery, the anesthesiologist is on hand to monitor a patient's vital signs and adjust the rate of the given anesthetic. An anesthesiologist might monitor heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, and breathing all in an attempt to monitor the effects of a given drug on a patient and making a determination of the patient's needs.
The anesthesiologist can also be found outside of the operating room since many hospital procedures like surgery involve a long-term recovery. In this setting, the anesthesiologist is on hand to offer pain management for the recovering patient. The anesthesiologist is also on hand during labor and the birth of a child, and they also help people who have chronic pain.
Anesthesiologists are also intimately involved with other physicians in determining the course of a treatment before and after a surgery.
A massive growth in the healthcare industry has not seen a similar growth in the number of anesthesiologists. Some of this is because of the costs associated with healthcare, and some of it is due to many hospitals increasing the length of residencies required for anesthesiologists. The potential party should not let these factors hinder their interest in anesthesiology since the good that an anesthesiologist does and the considerable salary it offers more than outweigh the obstacles that someone might face.
About the Author
Nancy Meyers writes education and health articles.
