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Hospitals and Health Systems
Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, HCA Healthcare
Anesthesiologists
Anesthesiologists put patients to sleep, block pain, and keep breathing, blood pressure, and heart function stable during surgery and other procedures. The work is distinct because small changes can become emergencies fast, so the job combines medication decisions, constant monitoring, and rapid response under pressure. The tradeoff is clear: very high pay and clinical control, but years of training and almost no room for error.
Also known as Physician AnesthesiologistStaff AnesthesiologistClinical AnesthesiologistAnesthesia PhysicianConsultant Anesthesiologist
Median Salary
$0
Mean $336,640
U.S. Workforce
~42K
1.3K openings per year
10-Year Growth
+3.2%
45.3K to 46.7K
Entry Education
Doctoral or professional degree
+ None experience
What This Role Looks Like in Practice
Anesthesiologists sits in the Healthcare category. In practical terms, this role combines day-to-day execution, cross-team coordination, and consistent decision-making under real business constraints.
U.S. employment is currently about ~42K workers, with a median annual pay of $0 and roughly 1.3K openings each year. Based on BLS projections, total employment is expected to grow from 45.3 K in 2024 to 46.7K in 2034.
Most hiring paths start with Post-doctoral training after medical school, and employers typically expect none of related experience. Many careers in this track begin around Medical Resident and can progress toward Anesthesia Medical Director. High-value skills usually include Airway Management, Intubation & Ventilation, Patient Monitoring Equipment (ECG, Pulse Oximetry, Capnography), and Regional, Spinal & Epidural Anesthesia Techniques, paired with soft skills such as Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Judgment and Decision Making.
Core Responsibilities
- Review a patient’s medical history, medications, allergies, and recent test results before a procedure.
- Work with surgeons and other clinicians to choose the safest anesthesia plan for the case.
- Give anesthesia or sedation using the right method for the surgery or procedure.
- Watch oxygen levels, breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure throughout the operation and adjust treatment right away when something changes.
Keep exploring: more Healthcare careers or browse all job titles.
A Day in the Life
01 Review a patient’s medical history, medications, allergies, and recent test results before a procedure.
02 Work with surgeons and other clinicians to choose the safest anesthesia plan for the case.
03 Give anesthesia or sedation using the right method for the surgery or procedure.
04 Watch oxygen levels, breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure throughout the operation and adjust treatment right away when something changes.
05 Treat side effects or emergencies such as low blood pressure, breathing problems, or bad reactions to medication.
06 Track recovery after the procedure, decide when a patient is stable enough to move on or go home, and document the care.
Industries That Hire
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Academic Medical Centers
Johns Hopkins Medicine, Mass General Brigham, Stanford Health Care
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Ambulatory Surgery Centers
Surgery Partners, United Surgical Partners International, AmSurg
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Physician Groups and Anesthesia Practices
North American Partners in Anesthesia, TeamHealth, Premier Anesthesia
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Government and Military Healthcare
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Army Medicine, U.S. Navy Medicine
Pros and Cons
Advantages
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Pay is very high, with a mean annual wage of $336,640, which is far above the typical U.S. job.
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Demand is still steady enough to support about 1.3 thousand annual openings, even though growth is modest.
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The work has immediate clinical impact because patients depend on you to stay safe, pain-free, and stable during procedures.
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The job uses deep medical knowledge and quick judgment instead of repetitive office work, so cases stay mentally engaging.
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Experienced anesthesiologists can move into leadership, teaching, or subspecialty work such as pain medicine and critical care.
Challenges
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The training path is long and demanding: a doctoral or professional degree, internship or residency, and often post-doctoral training.
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The job is high stakes every day, because a small mistake in dosing or monitoring can quickly become a life-threatening problem.
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Remote work is rare because the physician has to be physically present for surgery, recovery, and emergencies.
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Growth is only 3.2% from 2024 to 2034, so this is not a fast-expanding field despite the strong pay.
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The career can hit a ceiling unless you move into management or a subspecialty, since the core clinical work stays tightly tied to operating rooms and procedure volume.
Career Progression
Medical Resident
0-4 years
$60K-$75K
This stage is focused on supervised training, with long shifts, close oversight, and limited independence.
Anesthesiology Resident or Fellow
4-8 years
$76K-$95K
The doctor starts handling more anesthesia cases, but still works under attending supervision while building skill with airway management and monitoring.
Anesthesiologist THIS ROLE
8-15 years
$320K-$380K
At this level, the physician independently plans and delivers anesthesia, manages complications, and coordinates closely with surgical teams.
Senior Anesthesiologist
15-20 years
$390K-$470K
Experienced physicians take on harder cases, help guide younger doctors, and often handle higher-risk or more specialized procedures.
Anesthesia Medical Director
20+ years
$480K-$600K
Leadership roles focus on staffing, safety standards, quality control, and workflow for an anesthesia department or practice.
Education Paths
Post-doctoral training after medical school
The main pathway, held by 69.18% of workers in this role, usually means medical school followed by residency and often additional fellowship training.
Doctoral degree in medicine
A major entry route, held by 24.71% of workers in this role, typically means earning an MD or DO before completing anesthesiology residency.
First professional degree
A smaller pathway, held by 4.85% of workers in this role, reflects the professional medical degree that comes before residency and full practice.
Medical degree plus residency and board certification
Some physicians also add board certification and fellowship training in areas such as pain medicine, cardiac anesthesia, or critical care before taking on more specialized work.
Key Skills
Technical
Airway Management, Intubation & Ventilation 92%
Patient Monitoring Equipment (ECG, Pulse Oximetry, Capnography) 90%
Regional, Spinal & Epidural Anesthesia Techniques 88%
Medication Dosing, IV Sedation & Anesthesia Agents 86%
Anesthesia Machines, Infusion Pumps & Operating Room Protocols 84%
Pre-op Risk Assessment, Lab Review & Imaging Interpretation 82%
Electronic Health Records (Epic, Cerner) & Clinical Documentation 76%
Medical Science & Pharmacology 75%
Soft Skills
Critical ThinkingActive ListeningJudgment and Decision MakingMonitoringComplex Problem SolvingReading Comprehension Job Outlook and Trends
+3.2%
Projected growth (2024-2034)
1.3K
Annual job openings
Employment is projected to rise from 45.3K to 46.7 K over the next decade, representing 3.2% growth. Around 1.3 K openings per year include both newly created roles and replacement hiring from turnover.
Remote availability is currently Rare. Demand remains strongest where employers need practical domain knowledge plus modern workflow and data skills.