Anesthesiologist Assistant Career Guide The Best Kept Secret in Allied Health
Want a great clinical career but not sure med school is right for you? You ve got company. They re in the MSA Program. MSA students want: a career to be proud of meaningful work helping people earning power and job security @me to enjoy life, friends and family
A Typical* Day in the Life of an Anesthesiologist Assistant 6:30 a.m. AAs start day shif 6:45 a.m. meet first pa@ent, take vital signs, write anesthesia care plan based on their condi@on, type of surgery, etc. 7:00 a.m. present anesthesia care plan to alending anesthesiologist 7:15 a.m. prepare pa@ent and transport him/her to opera@ng room; page alending 7:30 a.m. alending anesthesiologist is present at start of the case (induc@on) 7:35 a.m. pa@ent is asleep or sedated, alending leaves; monitor pa@ent throughout surgery, adjust medica@ons as needed 9:30 a.m. near end of surgery, page alending to be there at wake up (emergence) 9:45 a.m. transport pa@ent to post anesthesia care unit (PACU) + get them selled 10:00 a.m. Repeat un@l cases for day are done *Number, type and dura@on of surgeries varies, which keeps things interes@ng.
Who are Anesthesiologist Assistants? Anesthesiologist assistants are well- respected members of the Anesthesia Care Team (ACT) and work closely with anesthesiologists caring for pa@ents from the pre- opera@ve stage through surgery, ending with post- opera@ve recovery. The AA profession was created by physicians in the late 1960s in response to a shortage of anesthesia care providers. A few visionary anesthesiologists understood that future needs couldn t be met by the number of people who were choosing anesthesiology. They envisioned a new mid- level anesthesia provider to work with them on the Anesthesia Care Team (ACT) and the AA profession was born. AA salary range in 2014 is $125,000 - $180,000
Case MSA Students Why they chose to become AAs
Thao Nguyen Houston Class of 2014 I am from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and I graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2010 with a B.S. in Biomedical Science. I learned about the anesthesiologist assistant field through a shadowing experience and I was instantly intrigued. I found the profession to be both rewarding and challenging, and I was encouraged that it would also allow me to maintain a balanced lifestyle. AFer mee@ng with several prac@cing AAs and current students I knew that this was the career path for me. The graduates of Case's MSA program have an excellent reputa@on within the AA community. Given the university's pres@ge and the faculty's support of their students, Case Western was my first choice. I am extremely excited to be a part of Case Western's MSA program in Houston.
Meagan Barbish DC Class of 2014 I am from Kirtland, Ohio, a small town about twenty miles outside of Cleveland. Growing up in a town where everyone knew each other, I decided to live in a larger city and I moved to PiLsburgh, Pennsylvania, to study at Duquesne University. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology with minors in both Biochemistry and Psychology. I always intended to work in the healthcare field however I was originally planning on alending medical school. I followed the pre- medical path and I took my MCAT in May of 2011. AFer I shadowed several different physicians it became clear that medical school was not the right path for me. I was introduced to the MSA Program at Case through my counselor at Duquesne, as well as through informa@on that was sent to my house. AFer I researched the program and the profession I knew I had found the ideal career. I am honored to par@cipate in this highly selec@ve program.
Eliecer Navarro Cleveland Class of 2014 I was born and raised in Panama City, Panama. From a young age I found the human body and its physiology very interes@ng. During high school I decided I wanted to work in the medical field. In order to receive superior training I set a goal to pursue my educa@on in America. I graduated in 2010 from Brigham Young University- Idaho with a B.S. in Biology. As an undergraduate I worked in the Biomolecular lab as a research assistant. I was introduced to the field of anesthesia while shadowing an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. AFer further research I discovered the anesthesiologist assistant profession. This career path is ideal for my lifestyle and interests. It will allow me to be very involved with health care, complete my training in a short period of @me and balance my commitments to work and family.
Leaders Made Here Case s MSA Program Prepares You to Go Where You Want, With Confidence
Case MSA Grads: A New Generation of Leaders MaLhew Ciok, AA- C Class of 2008 President, Ohio Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants Prac@cing anesthesiologist assistant, Christ Hospital, Cincinna@, OH Brian Haskins, AA- C Class of 2010 Head Anesthe@st, Memorial Hermann Hospital System, Houston, TX Prac@cing anesthesiologist assistant, Memorial Hermann Hospital System, Houston, TX Sabena Kachwalla, AA- C Class of 2007 Clinical Director, Case MSA Washington, DC Prac@cing anesthesiologist assistant, Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC
Case is the Cradle of AA leadership. * Executive Program Director Joseph RiWici, AA- C, Med Class of 1982 Sherryl Adamic, AA- C, Class of 1995 Chair, Na@onal Commission for Cer@fica@on of Anesthesiologist Assistants Shane Angus, AA- C, Class of 1999 Chair, Accredita@on Review CommiLee for the Anesthesiologist Assistant and Commissioner, Commission on Accredita@on of Allied Health Educa@on Programs Melanie Guthrie, AA- C, Class of 1997 Program Director, MSA Program University of Missouri- Kansas City Gary Jones, AA- C, MEd, Class of 1999 Director, Texas Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants and Fundraising Chair, Texas Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants Michael Nichols, AA- C, Class of 2000 CommiLee on Future Models of Anesthesia Prac@ce, American Society of Anesthesiologists and Poli@cal Ac@on CommiLee, American Society of Anesthesiologists Joseph Rifici, AA- C, MEd, Class of 1982 Vice- Chair, Na@onal Commission for Cer@fica@on of Anesthesiologist Assistants and CommiLee on Anesthesiologist Assistant Educa@on and Prac@ce, American Society of Anesthesiologists Carie Twichell, AA- C, Class of 1999 President- Elect, American Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants *This is a par@al list of Case alumni currently in leadership posi@ons. Go here for the honor roll: hlp://www.anesthesiaprogram.com/advocacy- honor- roll.html
The Anesthesia Care Team Model Endorsed by The American Society of Anesthesiologists
Anesthesia Care Team (ACT) As Defined by the American Society of Anesthesiologists Directed by an anesthesiologist, the Anesthesia Care Team consists of anesthesiologists supervising qualified non- physician anesthesia providers and/or resident physicians who are training in the provision of anesthesia care. The anesthesiologist may delegate pa@ent monitoring and appropriate tasks to these non- physician providers while retaining overall responsibility for the pa@ent. Members of the Anesthesia Care Team work together to provide the op@mal anesthesia experience for all pa@ents. Core members of the anesthesia care team include both physicians (anesthesiologist, anesthesiology fellow, anesthesiology resident) and non- physicians (anesthesiologist assistant, nurse anesthe@st, anesthesiologist assistant student, student nurse anesthe@st). Other health care professionals also make important contribu@ons to the perianesthe@c care of the pa@ent. To provide op@mum pa@ent safety, the anesthesiologist direc@ng the Anesthesia Care Team is responsible for management of team personnel, pa@ent pre- anesthe@c evalua@on, prescribing the anesthe@c plan, management of the anesthe@c, post- anesthesia care and anesthesia consulta@on.
What Now? How do I find out if being an AA is right for me?
Interested? Go on. Take the Next Step. How do I know if being an AA is right for me? Are you a type A personality? Does mul@- tasking come naturally to you? Is constant change and problem solving on the fly exci%ng? Do you want challenging work that leaves @me for play? If you said yes to any or all of the above, take the next step. Look at the pre- reqs and contact the Case MSA site you like best. Helpful staff in Houston, DC or Cleveland would love to hear from you! Go to www.anesthesiaprogram.com and click on Contact Not sure which site yet? You can email general questions to info@anesthesiaprogram.com