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Anaesthesia

Anaesthetists are the largest group of hospital-based specialists and give anaesthetics for surgical, medical and psychiatric procedures.

They facilitate pain-free childbirth, resuscitate acutely unwell patients, run chronic pain services and lead intensive care [1] units. 

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Life as an anaesthetist  

It’s your responsibility to choose the appropriate anaesthetic for your patient. Typically, you’ll offer four stages of patient care for a routine anaesthetic: 

  • preparation – you’ll assess your patient’s fitness for anaesthesia and agree on an anaesthetic plan 
  • induction – you’ll initiate the anaesthesia 
  • maintenance – you’ll continue the anaesthesia while monitoring your patient’s condition, including checking the activity of the heart, blood pressure, oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, breathing, body temperature, depth of anaesthesia and the body fluid balance 
  • recovery – you’ll reverse the anaesthesia and support the patient’s recovery 

Most of your time will be spent in operating theatres, but anaesthetists perform numerous roles in many different areas of a hospital. On any given day, you’ll facilitate pain free childbirth, resuscitate acutely unwell patients, run chronic pain services and lead intensive care [1] units.  

You can expect to work in areas such as: 

  • obstetric units 
  • critical care services for intensive care [1] and high dependency patients 
  • resuscitation services 
  • emergency departments 
  • chronic pain management 
  • acute pain teams 
  • dentistry 
  • perioperative [4] clinics 
  • research 
  • psychiatry – for patients receiving electro-convulsive therapy [5] (ECT) 
  • radiology – anaesthesia for CT scans [6] and MRI [7], especially in children 
  • inter-hospital transfers of critically ill patients   

You’ll also work closely with patients, understanding their condition and treatment. It’s your responsibility to care for a patient for the duration of their operation. Being prepared for the unexpected can be exciting but also challenging at times. 

Dr Sarah Plummer

Consultant anaesthetist
Seeing patients wake up safely and with good pain relief after any surgery always makes my job worthwhile.
Read Sarah's story. [8]

How much can I earn? 

You’ll first earn a salary when you start your foundation training [9] after medical school.  Find out details of current salary ranges for foundation and specialty training, SAS doctors [10] and consultants on the 'Pay for doctors' [11] page. 

How about the benefits? 

  • make a difference 
  • flexible and part-time working 
  • high income early in your career   
  • work anywhere in the world   
  • excellent pension scheme 
  • good holiday entitlement 
  • NHS discounts in shops and restaurants 

Must-have skills 

  • excellent communication skills to manage a wide range of relationships with colleagues, and patients and their families  
  • emotional resilience, a calm temperament and the ability to work well under pressure  
  • teamwork and the capacity to lead multidisciplinary teams  
  • problem-solving and diagnostic skills  
  • outstanding organisational ability and effective decision-making skills  
  • first-class time and resource management for the benefit of patients 

Entry requirements 

Your first step is medical school. Typically, you’ll need excellent GCSEs and three A or A* passes at A level including chemistry for a five-year undergraduate degree in medicine. Many medical schools also ask for biology and others may require maths or physics.  

If you already have a degree, you could study for a four-year postgraduate degree in medicine.  

You’ll need to pass an interview and admissions test. You’ll be asked to show how you demonstrate the NHS values such as compassion and respect.  

Some medical schools look to recruit a mix of students from different backgrounds and geographical areas, so your educational and economic background and family circumstances could be considered as part of your application. 

What are my chances of starting a career as an anaesthetist? 

In 2020, there were 1,479 applications for 569 places for anaesthetic specialty training. 

How to become an anaesthetist

  • After medical school, you’ll join the paid two-year foundation [12] programme [12] where you’ll work in six placements in different settings.  
  • After your foundation programme, you can apply for paid specialty training [13] to become an anaesthetist which will take a minimum of 7 or 8 years. 
  • You may be able to train part time, for example for health reasons or if you have family or caring responsibilities. 

Where a career as an anaesthetist can take you 

You could:

  • specialise or conduct research in areas such as pain medicine 
  • teach medical students or postgraduate students in training 
  • get involved in research at universities, the NHS or private sector  
  • Displaying 1 - 5 of 77 matches

    Medicine with Foundation Year

    University of Plymouth

    View course [14] Opens in a new window
    • Qualification
      Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery - BMBS
      Study mode
      Full-time
      Duration of the course
      6 Years
      Leading to a career in
      Medicine
    • Contact details
      [email protected] [15]
      +44 (0)1752 437333
    • Region
      South West
      Admissions address
      Drake Circus
      Plymouth
      PL4 8AA
      United Kingdom

    Medicine (Graduate Entry) (4 years)

    University of St Andrews

    View course [16] Opens in a new window
    • Qualification
      Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery - MB ChB
      Study mode
      Full-time
      Duration of the course
      4 Years
      Leading to a career in
      Medicine
    • Contact details
      [email protected] [17]
      01334 463619
    • Region
      Scotland
      Admissions address
      16 St Katharine's West
      St Andrews
      KY16 9AX
      United Kingdom

    Medicine (Graduate Entry)

    Cardiff University

    View course [18] Opens in a new window
    • Qualification
      Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery - MB BCh
      Study mode
      Full-time
      Duration of the course
      4 Years
      Leading to a career in
      Medicine
    • Contact details
      [email protected] [19]
      029 2087 9999
    • Region
      Wales
      Admissions address
      30-36 Newport Road
      Cardiff
      CF24 0DE
      United Kingdom

    Medicine North Wales

    Cardiff University

    View course [20] Opens in a new window
    • Qualification
      Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery - MB BCh
      Study mode
      Full-time
      Duration of the course
      4 Years
      Leading to a career in
      Medicine
    • Contact details
      [email protected] [19]
      029 2087 9999
    • Region
      Wales
      Admissions address
      Bangor University
      Bangor
      Gwynedd, North Wales
      Bangor
      LL57 2DG
      Wales

    Medicine

    Cardiff University

    View course [21] Opens in a new window
    • Qualification
      Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery - MB BCh
      Study mode
      Full-time
      Duration of the course
      5 Years
      Leading to a career in
      Medicine
    • Contact details
      [email protected] [19]
      029 2087 9999
    • Region
      Wales
      Admissions address
      30-36 Newport Road
      Cardiff
      CF24 0DE
      United Kingdom
    • Load more Load more results [22]
  • Find a vacancy

    • Anaesthetist

      Milton Keynes, MK14 5HR

      Salary:
      Negotiable
      Type:
      Permanent
      Employer:
      Ramsay Health Care UK Operations Limited
      Apply now on NHS Jobs for Anaesthetist job (opens in a new window) [23]
    • Consultant Anaesthetist

      Birmingham, B152QD

      Salary:
      £130000.00
      Type:
      Permanent
      Employer:
      Practice Plus Group
      Apply now on NHS Jobs for Consultant Anaesthetist job (opens in a new window) [24]
    • Consultant Anaesthetist

      Whitehaven, CA28 8JG

      Salary:
      £105504.00 to £139882.00
      Type:
      Permanent
      Employer:
      North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
      Apply now on NHS Jobs for Consultant Anaesthetist job (opens in a new window) [25]
    • Consultant Anaesthetist

      Chesterfield, S43 4XE

      Salary:
      £118668.00
      Type:
      Permanent
      Employer:
      Practice Plus Group
      Apply now on NHS Jobs for Consultant Anaesthetist job (opens in a new window) [26]
    • Consultant Anaesthetist

      Sheffield, S11 8UX

      Salary:
      Negotiable
      Type:
      Permanent
      Employer:
      One Health Group
      Apply now on NHS Jobs for Consultant Anaesthetist job (opens in a new window) [27]
    • Consultant Anaesthetist

      Shepton Mallet, BA4 4LP

      Salary:
      £99275.00 to £147700.00
      Type:
      Permanent
      Employer:
      Practice Plus Group
      Apply now on NHS Jobs for Consultant Anaesthetist job (opens in a new window) [28]
    • Consultant Anaesthetist

      Whitehaven, CA28 8JG

      Salary:
      £105504.00 to £139882.00
      Type:
      Permanent
      Employer:
      North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
      Apply now on NHS Jobs for Consultant Anaesthetist job (opens in a new window) [29]
    • Locum Consultant Anaesthetist

      Croydon, CR7 7YE

      Salary:
      £109725.00 to £145478.00
      Type:
      Fixed-Term
      Employer:
      Croydon Health Services NHS Trust
      Apply now on NHS Jobs for Locum Consultant Anaesthetist job (opens in a new window) [30]
    • Consultant Cardiothoracic Anaesthetist

      Liverpool, L14 3PE

      Salary:
      £105504.00 to £139882.00
      Type:
      Permanent
      Employer:
      Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital
      Apply now on NHS Jobs for Consultant Cardiothoracic Anaesthetist job (opens in a new window) [31]
    • Consultant Paediatric Anaesthetist

      Nottingham, NG7 2UH

      Salary:
      £105504.00 to £139882.00
      Type:
      Permanent
      Employer:
      Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trusts
      Apply now on NHS Jobs for Consultant Paediatric Anaesthetist job (opens in a new window) [32]
    • Locum Consultant Anaesthetist

      Whitehaven, CA28 8JG

      Salary:
      £105504.00 to £139882.00
      Type:
      Fixed-Term
      Employer:
      North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
      Apply now on NHS Jobs for Locum Consultant Anaesthetist job (opens in a new window) [33]
    • Part Time Consultant Anaesthetist

      Birmingham, B152QD

      Salary:
      £130000.00
      Type:
      Permanent
      Employer:
      Practice Plus Group
      Apply now on NHS Jobs for Part Time Consultant Anaesthetist job (opens in a new window) [34]
    • Consultant Anaesthetist and ICM

      Wolverhampton, WV10 0QP

      Salary:
      £105504.00 to £139882.00
      Type:
      Permanent
      Employer:
      The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust
      Apply now on NHS Jobs for Consultant Anaesthetist and ICM job (opens in a new window) [35]
    • Consultant Anaesthetist (Major General)

      Portsmouth, PO6 3LY

      Salary:
      £105504.00 to £139882.00
      Type:
      Permanent
      Employer:
      Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust
      Apply now on NHS Jobs for Consultant Anaesthetist (Major General) job (opens in a new window) [36]
    • Trust Locum Consultant Anaesthetist

      Eastbourne, BN21 2UD

      Salary:
      £105504.00 to £139882.00
      Type:
      Fixed-Term
      Employer:
      East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
      Apply now on NHS Jobs for Trust Locum Consultant Anaesthetist job (opens in a new window) [37]
    • Locum Consultant Cardio-thoracic Anaesthetist

      Cottingham, HU16 5JQ

      Salary:
      £105504.00 to £139882.00
      Type:
      Fixed-Term
      Employer:
      Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
      Apply now on NHS Jobs for Locum Consultant Cardio-thoracic Anaesthetist job (opens in a new window) [38]
    • Consultant Anaesthetist (Regional and Ortho)

      Portsmouth, PO6 3LY

      Salary:
      £105504.00 to £139882.00
      Type:
      Permanent
      Employer:
      Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust
      Apply now on NHS Jobs for Consultant Anaesthetist (Regional and Ortho) job (opens in a new window) [39]
    • Consultant Anaesthetist - Peri-op Generalist

      Portsmouth, PO6 3LY

      Salary:
      £105504.00 to £139882.00
      Type:
      Permanent
      Employer:
      Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust
      Apply now on NHS Jobs for Consultant Anaesthetist - Peri-op Generalist job (opens in a new window) [40]
    • Consultant Anaesthetist in Paediatric Anaesthesia

      Hull, HU3 2JZ

      Salary:
      £105504.00 to £139882.00
      Type:
      Permanent
      Employer:
      Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
      Apply now on NHS Jobs for Consultant Anaesthetist in Paediatric Anaesthesia job (opens in a new window) [41]
    • Locum Consultant Anaesthetist in Paediatric Anaesthesia

      London, E1 1FR

      Salary:
      £105504.00 to £139882.00
      Type:
      Locum
      Employer:
      Barts Health NHS Trust
      Apply now on NHS Jobs for Locum Consultant Anaesthetist in Paediatric Anaesthesia job (opens in a new window) [42]
    • Consultant Anaesthetist, special interest in Pain Management

      Kingston-upon-Thames, KT2 7QB

      Salary:
      £105504.00 to £139882.00
      Type:
      Permanent
      Employer:
      Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust
      Apply now on NHS Jobs for Consultant Anaesthetist, special interest in Pain Management job (opens in a new window) [43]
    • Consultant Anaesthetist with interest in Critical Care Medicine

      Northampton, NN1 5BD

      Salary:
      £105504.00 to £139882.00
      Type:
      Permanent
      Employer:
      Northampton General Hospital
      Apply now on NHS Jobs for Consultant Anaesthetist with interest in Critical Care Medicine job (opens in a new window) [44]
    • Consultant Anaesthetist with an Interest in Obstetric Anaesthesia

      Telford, TF1 6TF

      Salary:
      £105504.00 to £139882.00
      Type:
      Permanent
      Employer:
      The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust
      Apply now on NHS Jobs for Consultant Anaesthetist with an Interest in Obstetric Anaesthesia job (opens in a new window) [45]
    • Consultant Anaesthetist with a Spec. Int. in Chronic and Acute Pain

      Hillingdon, UB8 3NN

      Salary:
      £99532.00 to £131964.00
      Type:
      Permanent
      Employer:
      The Hillingdon Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
      Apply now on NHS Jobs for Consultant Anaesthetist with a Spec. Int. in Chronic and Acute Pain job (opens in a new window) [46]
  • These organisations have further information about being an anaesthetist, particularly as your career progresses. Take a look.

    The Royal College of Anaesthetists [47]

    The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland [48]

    Association of Cardiothoracic Anaesthetists [49]

    The National Institute of Academic Anaesthesia [50]

    And hear from people already working as an anaesthetist: 

    Starting in anaesthetics (BMJ) [51]

    The secret life of an anaesthetist (The Guardian) [52]

    About anaesthesia (HEWM) [53]

    Dr Zulfi Sadiq, anaesthesia (HEEM) [54]

Other roles that may interest you

  • Emergency medicine [55]
  • Acute internal medicine [56]
  • General surgery [57]
  • General practitioner [58]

Source URL:https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/doctors/roles-doctors/anaesthesia

Links
[1] https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/glossary#Intensive_care [2] https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/privacy-and-cookies/#CookieDeclarationChangeConsentChange [3] https://www.youtube.com/NHSCareers [4] https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/glossary#Perioperative [5] https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/glossary#Electro-convulsive_therapy [6] https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/glossary#CT_scans [7] https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/glossary#MRI [8] https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/doctors/roles-doctors/anaesthesia/real-life-story-dr-sarah-plummer/real-life-story-dr-sarah-plummer [9] https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/glossary#Foundation_training [10] https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/doctors/career-opportunities-doctors/sas-doctors [11] https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/doctors/pay-doctors [12] https://foundationprogramme.nhs.uk/ [13] https://specialtytraining.hee.nhs.uk/ [14] https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/bmbs-bachelor-of-medicine-bachelor-of-surgery-with-foundation-year-0 [15] mailto: [email protected] [16] https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/subjects/medicine/scotgem-mbchb/ [17] mailto: [email protected] [18] https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/2022/medicine-graduate-entry-mbbch [19] mailto: [email protected] [20] https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/2022/mbbch-north-wales [21] https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/2022/medicine-mbbch [22] https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/print/756?page=1 [23] https://beta.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/E0365-25-0391 [24] https://beta.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/E0314-24-4831 [25] https://beta.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/C9262-25-0569 [26] https://beta.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/E0314-25-2583 [27] https://beta.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/B0103-25-0030 [28] https://beta.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/E0314-25-2218 [29] https://beta.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/C9262-25-0825 [30] https://beta.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/C9199-25-0282 [31] https://beta.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/C9410-25-0114 [32] https://beta.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/C9164-25-1329 [33] https://beta.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/C9262-25-0884 [34] https://beta.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/E0314-25-2395 [35] https://beta.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/C9225-25-0285 [36] https://beta.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/C8192-25-0359 [37] https://beta.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/C9374-25-0651 [38] https://beta.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/C9356-25-0631 [39] https://beta.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/C8192-25-0358 [40] https://beta.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/C8192-25-0356 [41] https://beta.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/C9356-25-0632 [42] https://beta.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/C9259-25-1538 [43] https://beta.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/C9396-25-0268 [44] https://beta.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/C9265-25-0288 [45] https://beta.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/C9223-25-0547 [46] https://beta.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/C9394-25-0215 [47] http://www.rcoa.ac.uk/careers-training [48] http://www.aagbi.org/ [49] http://www.acta.org.uk/home/welcome.asp [50] http://www.niaa.org.uk/ [51] http://careers.bmj.com/careers/advice/view-article.html?id=2239 [52] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/12/secret-life-anaesthetist-surgery-doctor?CMP=twt_gu [53] http://www.westmidlandsdeanery.nhs.uk/SpecialtySchools/PostgraduateSchoolofACE/Anaesthesia.aspx [54] https://www.eastmidlandsdeanery.nhs.uk/video_popup.php?videoUrl=media/webcasts_nov09/anaesth&autoPlay=true&width=360&height=264 [55] https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/doctors/roles-doctors/emergency-medicine [56] https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/doctors/roles-doctors/medicine/acute-internal-medicine [57] https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/doctors/roles-doctors/surgery/general-surgery [58] https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/doctors/roles-doctors/general-practitioner