According to people in this career, the main tasks are...
| Task | Importance |
|---|---|
| Control anesthesia levels during procedures. | 98% |
| Assist anesthesiologists in monitoring of patients, including electrocardiogram (EKG), direct arterial pressure, central venous pressure, arterial blood gas, hematocrit, or routine measurement of temperature, respiration, blood pressure or heart rate. | 96% |
| Respond to emergency situations by providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), basic cardiac life support (BLS), advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), or pediatric advanced life support (PALS). | 93% |
| Provide airway management interventions including tracheal intubation, fiber optics, or ventilary support. | 93% |
| Administer blood, blood products, or supportive fluids. | 93% |
| Collect and document patients' pre-anesthetic health histories. | 91% |
| Assist in the provision of advanced life support techniques including those procedures using high frequency ventilation or intra-arterial cardiovascular assistance devices. | 91% |
| Verify availability of operating room supplies, medications, and gases. | 90% |
| Pretest and calibrate anesthesia delivery systems and monitors. | 89% |
| Monitor and document patients' progress during post-anesthesia period. | 85% |
| Administer anesthetic, adjuvant, or accessory drugs under the direction of an anesthesiologist. | 84% |
| Assist anesthesiologists in performing anesthetic procedures, such as epidural or spinal injections. | 82% |
| Provide clinical instruction, supervision or training to staff in areas such as anesthesia practices. | 80% |
| Assist in the application of monitoring techniques, such as pulmonary artery catheterization, electroencephalographic spectral analysis, echocardiography, or evoked potentials. | 78% |
| Collect samples or specimens for diagnostic testing. | 77% |
| Participate in seminars, workshops, or other professional activities to keep abreast of developments in anesthesiology. | 75% |
