Anaesthetist

Anaesthetists are doctors who have specialist knowledge of anaesthetics. The main part of their work is perioperative care, including all types of surgery, intensive care medicine and pain medicine. They are part of a multi-professional team, working closely with people such as surgeons, nurses and operating department practitioners.

Work activities

The anaesthetist’s role is wide-ranging – it’s about a lot more than putting people to sleep! Apart from their involvement in surgery, anaesthetists are experts in many areas, such as long-term pain relief (pain medicine), intensive care and emergency situations, where they can be involved in resuscitation and advanced life support. Anaesthetists are involved in everything from major operations to minor day surgery cases. Their contact with patients begins in a pre-assessment clinic or emergency room. They have to make sure the patient is healthy enough to be operated on, consider any risks or difficulties that might be involved in the operation, explain the type of anaesthetic they will use and answer any questions the patient might have. Anaesthetists can give drugs in several ways, depending on the type of operation, the patient’s physical condition and what they would prefer, and the equipment, staff and other resources available at the hospital. The anaesthetist will also discuss the benefits and risks of each method.

Anaesthetists also manage pain relief after the surgery. This can be given in a variety of ways, including pills, tablets, liquids and injections. Anaesthetists work on many types of operation, depending on the type of hospital they work in. They could be involved in orthopaedic, cardiac (heart), paediatric or trauma teams. Some anaesthetists look after the pain relief of women in labour.

Personal qualities and skills

To be an anaesthetist, you’ll need:

• A strong interest and ability in science. You will need to know about areas such as biology and pharmacology, and also physics and chemistry (to work with gases and complex electrical equipment).
• Excellent teamwork and interpersonal skills, to work with and lead other members of the theatre team.
• Communication skills, tact, sensitivity and a caring manner for working with patients.
• Leadership and decision-making skills.
• Attention to detail, for example, to monitor the patient.
• The ability to work with equipment.
• Accurate record-keeping skills.
• A strong sense of responsibility, and the ability to act calmly under pressure.

Pay and opportunities

According to NHS Careers, NHS anaesthetists start their training on £32,398. Once you begin specialty training, this rises to £42,923 (January 2024). As a consultant, you could earn up to £126,281. Pay rates may be different in the private sector.

Anaesthetists’ working hours can be long and irregular, and include shift, weekend and public holiday work.

Other than the NHS and private medical companies, employers include the armed forces, government departments and research and teaching establishments. Opportunities for anaesthetists occur in towns and cities throughout the UK. There are opportunities to work abroad.

Competition for posts is strong. Anaesthetists are the single largest group of hospital doctors, and the anaesthetist’s skills are used throughout the hospital in patient care.

Where are vacancies advertised?

Vacancies are advertised on the NHS Jobs website, in professional journals, and on job boards.

Entry routes and training

To become an anaesthetist, you must first qualify as a medical doctor. This is usually through a five-year degree in medicine. After graduating, you will need to complete a further period of training and progression.

Anaesthetists often develop expertise in a sub-speciality, such as the care of children or major heart and lung surgery (there are many more examples). It is also possible to progress into a research or teaching post.

Some medical conditions can prevent you from pursuing a career as an anaesthetist. You can find further information and advice on the website of the British Medical Association (BMA).

Rehabilitation of Offenders Act: This career is an exception to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. This means that you must tell an employer about any spent or unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands or warnings, if they ask you to. This is different from other careers, where you only have to reveal information on unspent convictions if you are asked to.

Qualifications

For entry to a degree course in medicine, the usual requirement is three A-levels at high grades. Chemistry is usually essential, with at least one other science subject or maths. Of these, many universities ask for biology.  Competition for entry to medicine degrees is strong, so you are likely to need high grades in your A-levels. Most university medical schools ask for at least AAA and some for combinations such as A*AA.  You will also need high grades in five GCSEs, including English, maths and science subjects.

A small number of university medical schools accept alternative qualifications, usually only when combined with specified subjects.

You will usually need to sit an admission test, as well as applying through UCAS. Examples are:

• UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT) is used in the selection procedure for most medical schools. It is not a test of knowledge but is instead designed to make sure you have the appropriate mental abilities, attitudes and professional behaviour to be a doctor. You should ideally take the test before you apply to the school through UCAS. Please see the UKCAT website for more information.
• BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT). You will need to take this if you apply for certain universities in the UK and abroad.
• Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT UK) if you’re applying for certain four-year graduate-entry medicine courses. For more information, please see the GAMSAT website.

Adult opportunities

Age limits: It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

If you don’t have the usual qualifications needed for a degree in medicine, you might be able to enter the course through:

• An Access to Medicine course.
• A pre-medical or foundation year, if you don’t have science A-levels.

Six-year widening access courses encourage more people to study medicine. These are available at a small number of universities. Please check the British Medical Association website for more information.

You can train as an anaesthetist (once qualified as a doctor) on a part-time basis. This can be through the NHS Less Than Full-time Training Programme, through which students cover 50-80% of the normal full-time weekly programme.

Medical students may apply for student loans to cover maintenance and tuition fees. However, the final years of their study may be covered by the NHS Bursary Scheme.

Funding is available from the armed forces, usually for the final years of a medicine degree. Some scholarships and hardship funds from medical schools are also available. Several charities and trusts offer financial support, such as the BMA Charities Trust Fund, which gives grants to students taking medicine as a second degree.

Related careers

• Doctor
• Operating department practitioner
• Perfusionist
• Surgeon