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How do you apply to become an anesthesiologist after college?
I love medicine and I want to be an anesthesiologist or a teacher. Helping others has always been a passion of mines. #doctor #surgery #medicine
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Mary Jane’s Answer
To become an anesthesiologist, you must attend medical school after college. In medical school, you will rotate through a variety of clinical specialties to confirm where your interests and skills lie. Once you complete 4 years of medical school, you will apply to a residency program that focuses on anesthesiology. These programs typically take an additional 4 years, with 3 years being specialized anesthesia training. At the end of residency, you will take a Board certification exam. Some people go on to do additional internships or fellowships for further training and certifications in the field. It's a very long path but it's a role with a lot of responsibility for ensuring patients' lives and safety.
Another option for work in this field is to become an anesthesiologist assistant. This is a growing field so there aren't a lot of programs and not all states recognize the role of AAs yet. However, the degree path is shorter, typically just a 2 year Masters's degree and certification exam after completing a 4-year college degree. You can learn more about this degree and career path here:
https://explorehealthcareers.org/career/allied-health-professions/anesthesiologist-assistant/
https://www.asahq.org/advocacy-and-asapac/advocacy-topics/anesthesiologist-assistants
The third path into careers in anesthesiology is the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist degree. These practitioners are similar to AAs but the path is usually a bit longer. Students complete their undergraduate degree (in nursing or in something else) and then complete an advanced practice nursing degree and a CRNA certification exam. Depending on whether your Bachelor's degree is in nursing or not, it may take 2-5 years beyond college (for example, a 2-year MSN degree, 1 year of work in the nursing field, followed by a 2-year CRNA degree). CRNAs are able to practice in every state, so the degree is more portable than the AA Master's degree. Learn more about CRNAs here:
https://explorehealthcareers.org/career/nursing/nurse-anesthetist/
https://www.aana.com/membership/become-a-crna
You say that you are interested in teaching; note that for all of these careers, there is the opportunity to work part-time as a clinician and part-time as an instructor in a graduate/professional school program. Many people combine clinical practice and education of future practitioners in their careers.
I'm not sure if you are a high school or a college student, but either way the best things you can do at this point are 1) research the professions, 2) build a strong academic foundation by taking a lot of science courses and learning the material well, and 3) informational interviews and shadowing of people working in anesthesia fields. Good luck and have fun exploring!
Another option for work in this field is to become an anesthesiologist assistant. This is a growing field so there aren't a lot of programs and not all states recognize the role of AAs yet. However, the degree path is shorter, typically just a 2 year Masters's degree and certification exam after completing a 4-year college degree. You can learn more about this degree and career path here:
https://explorehealthcareers.org/career/allied-health-professions/anesthesiologist-assistant/
https://www.asahq.org/advocacy-and-asapac/advocacy-topics/anesthesiologist-assistants
The third path into careers in anesthesiology is the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist degree. These practitioners are similar to AAs but the path is usually a bit longer. Students complete their undergraduate degree (in nursing or in something else) and then complete an advanced practice nursing degree and a CRNA certification exam. Depending on whether your Bachelor's degree is in nursing or not, it may take 2-5 years beyond college (for example, a 2-year MSN degree, 1 year of work in the nursing field, followed by a 2-year CRNA degree). CRNAs are able to practice in every state, so the degree is more portable than the AA Master's degree. Learn more about CRNAs here:
https://explorehealthcareers.org/career/nursing/nurse-anesthetist/
https://www.aana.com/membership/become-a-crna
You say that you are interested in teaching; note that for all of these careers, there is the opportunity to work part-time as a clinician and part-time as an instructor in a graduate/professional school program. Many people combine clinical practice and education of future practitioners in their careers.
I'm not sure if you are a high school or a college student, but either way the best things you can do at this point are 1) research the professions, 2) build a strong academic foundation by taking a lot of science courses and learning the material well, and 3) informational interviews and shadowing of people working in anesthesia fields. Good luck and have fun exploring!
Updated
Moadh’s Answer
Thus after your Bachelor degree in college (Biology major preferred) which typically takes 4 years in college, then you'll apply to medical schools. Apply to medical schools in the US which are preferred but you also have Caribbean medical schools too, and you'll obtain your medical school degree there which takes another 4 years on average. After this you apply for residency positions in Anesthesiology.
Thus to conclude after college apply to medical schools.