| Anesthesiologists are medical doctors in Barco scrubs | | | | those who work on salary, but the median annual |
| whose specialty is relieving pain, and also caring for | | | | income of the 600,000 anesthesiologists in the U.S. in |
| patients who are undergoing surgical procedures. Their | | | | 2002 was slightly over $300,000. About half of these |
| job is to evaluate and treat patients, and to supervise | | | | were self-employed and another quarter worked in |
| members of the medical staff who work under their | | | | hospitals. Self-employed anesthesiologists are |
| direction. The focus of anesthesiology is on | | | | responsible for providing their own retirement and |
| procedures and treatments which occur prior to, during, | | | | health insurance. Earnings can vary a great deal |
| and following surgical operations. Anesthesiologists | | | | depending upon experience, skill, personality, geographic |
| discuss these procedures and treatments with other | | | | location, hours worked, and professional reputation. |
| physicians in order to determine which ones are the | | | | Physicians who specialize in anesthesiology must |
| most appropriate in a given case. While a patient is | | | | spend many years completing their educational and |
| undergoing surgery, the anesthesiologist is directly | | | | training requirements: four years of undergraduate |
| responsible for monitoring the patient's vital functions, | | | | study; four years of medical school; and from three to |
| such as heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and body | | | | eight years of residency. Some medical schools offer |
| temperature. There are two career paths in | | | | programs which combine the undergraduate and |
| anesthesiology, namely M.D.'s (medical doctors) who | | | | medical studies, and so can be completed in only six |
| are allopathic physicians, and O.D.'s (osteopathic | | | | years. Undergraduate premedical students are required |
| doctors). While both M.D.'s and O.D.'s use surgery, | | | | to take courses in mathematics, physics, biology, |
| drugs, and other common options of treatment, the | | | | English, and both inorganic and organic chemistry. They |
| focus of O.D.'s is more on the musculoskeletal system | | | | must also take courses in the social sciences and |
| of the body; on preventative medicine; and on holistic | | | | humanities, and volunteer at local clinics or hospitals in |
| health care. Over half of O.D.'s practice general family | | | | order to gain experience. Most medical school |
| medicine, internal medicine, or pediatrics; therefore | | | | applicants have a bachelor's degree, and many have |
| O.D.'s are more likely to be primary care specialists | | | | also earned advanced degrees. The competition to |
| than are M.D.'s | | | | enter medical school is very stiff. The first two years |
| Anesthesiologists must be emotionally stable, and they | | | | of medical school cover the basics, including anatomy |
| must have the ability to make life and death decisions | | | | and microbiology; the second two years involve |
| quickly. They should be self-motivated, possess a | | | | working in clinics and hospitals under physicians' |
| good bedside manner in cotton scrubs, and feel a | | | | supervision. After their graduation from medical school |
| strong desire to serve other people. They must | | | | they enter residency in Barco metroscrubs, which is |
| possess considerable physical and mental stamina in | | | | paid on-the-job training. Residencies are usually in |
| order to handle the pressures of the job; and they | | | | hospitals, and they last from two to six years. |
| must have the complete dedication which medical | | | | Becoming an anesthesiologist may require up to seven |
| education and practice require. Anesthesiologists who | | | | years in residency training to qualify for the board |
| are self-employed generally have higher incomes than | | | | certification in anesthesiology. |