Where do anaesthetists work?

You will meet anaesthetists working in many different areas of the hospital.

Intensive Care Medicine
These anaesthetists work on an intensive care unit. They look after critically ill patients suffering from a wide range of serious illness such as severe breathing problems, kidney failure or life-threatening infections. They also look after patients who have had major surgery or after major trauma before they are well enough to be nursed on a specialist ward.

Paediatric anaesthesia
Some anaesthetists specialise in the care of children from birth to 16 or 18 years. This includes tiny babies who have surgical and medical problems from birth.

Obstetric anaesthesia
Anaesthetists work on the labour ward providing pain relief and anaesthetics for childbirth. They also work alongside obstetric doctors in the assessment and care of women with complex medical problems during pregnancies, or who develop complications during pregnancy.

Pain specialists
These anaesthetists care for patients suffering long term pain. Patients are referred to pain relief clinics where a full pain assessment is made. This may be followed by injections, specialised use of pain relief medicines and/or psychological techniques and support. The quality of life for patients with long term pain can be greatly improved.
Neuro-anaesthesia
Many types of modern brain surgery rely on specialised anaesthetic techniques which help to keep the brain in good condition while the operation is done.
Cardiac anaesthesia
During open heart surgery the anaesthetist works with the perfusion team to keep you anaesthetised and keep blood pumped to all parts of your body. After surgery they will look after you in the cardiac intensive care unit and support your heart with specialised drugs or equipment until it is working well enough on its own to go back to the cardiac ward.
Emergency care and resuscitation
Anaesthetists work closely with Emergency Department (ED) doctors to look after the sickest patients as they arrive in the hospital. For example, people seriously injured in an accident are cared for by the “trauma team” which includes anaesthetists and surgeons as well as the ED doctors. The team ensures that the right care reaches the patient very quickly. Some anaesthetists are also trained in the fairly new specialty of pre-hospital care. These anaesthetists travel by helicopter or road to the scene of major accidents to give life saving care.

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