Anesthesia Technologist

Specialties CRNA

Published

can someone explain what anesthesia tech does.

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can someone explain what anesthesia tech does.

Here is a description from a school that trains techs:

http://www.skylinecollege.edu/smt/anest.html

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As an anesthesia technician, I can tell you some. I don't really know the difference between an Anesthesia technician and technologist, I have never really pursued (went after nursing insted).

As an anesthesia tech, my primary duties were assuring adequate supplies were avail to provide anesthesia, assisting with line placement and intubations (though somewhat minimally), assisting with fiber ooptic and difficult intubations, asssiting with spinal and epidural placemen....

Basically whatever an aesthesiologist needed, I was there to help. I also woud set up fluid warmers, IV's, pressure trandscer lines, hookup and assist with a swan.....

I think its a cool job but I had more funb doing it a private communtiy hospital than I do at a teaching institution (too many stinkin residents!). Although, I do run the cell savders at the teaching place which means trauma call.

Hope that provides some of an answer!

Jim

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How much do you make, and how long is the program?

thanks !

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I never wnet to school for the position, it was on the job training. I am not certified, but am making around 24,500 as a base. 'Course there's overtime and call pay shift diff. Its not too bad.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, Stepdown.

hey tookewlandy! I see you are from Pittsburgh! Go Steelers! I went to anesthesia tech school in Pittsburgh at Western School of Health and Business Careers- downtown Campus.

The program was not bad, but it was SOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooo over rated and NOT worth the price. I went in '99-01. They were not accredited at the time- so none of my credits would transfer out of allegheny county. It was such a rip off:angryfire , i think the cost of the program was like 14k, not including room and board.

The program was a stepping stone for me. I think of an anesthesia tech as a nursing assistant to the nurse anesthetist. It was not enough responsibility for me. Never worked as a tech. Went straight to nursing school after i graduated from Western. Did a 400hr internship and the job was not for me. Looked for a job after graduation for the hell of it- allegheny was going to pay 8.00/hr, St. Francis 12/hr, mercy was not hiring at the time. I wouldn't have been able to afford to live in Pittsburgh on that.

I don't regret going to the school because it got me into nursing, my goal is to become a CRNA. Right now I am traveling and having a blast.

I wish somebody would have told me to skip the stepping stone and go to nursing school.

Hope this helps

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Specializes in ECMO.
can someone explain what anesthesia tech does.

like some have said, most places have OJT. i was looking into it, but i could prolly only do weekend morning cases and call. jde sorry to hear that. i had a friend recently graduate from a technical school as well, paid 14K also and now makes $8hr working in a computer assembly line, even though his certificate is in computer networking. DONT TRUST TECH SCHOOLS!! LOL

i saw somewhere (i forgot where) but Anesthesia Techs were required to be RN's or RRT's. im sure at this place they had more responsibilites and were not paid $12hr......cuz it would be a major cutback in wages for both.

im sure if one were a nurses aide or had an inside job at a hospital (housekeeping, dietary,etc) one could easily receive OJT.

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As an anesthesia technician, I can tell you some. I don't really know the difference between an Anesthesia technician and technologist, I have never really pursued (went after nursing insted).

As an anesthesia tech, my primary duties were assuring adequate supplies were avail to provide anesthesia, assisting with line placement and intubations (though somewhat minimally), assisting with fiber ooptic and difficult intubations, asssiting with spinal and epidural placemen....

Basically whatever an aesthesiologist needed, I was there to help. I also woud set up fluid warmers, IV's, pressure trandscer lines, hookup and assist with a swan.....

I think its a cool job but I had more funb doing it a private communtiy hospital than I do at a teaching institution (too many stinkin residents!). Although, I do run the cell savders at the teaching place which means trauma call.

Hope that provides some of an answer!

Jim

No offense, but I can't believe a hospital would let someone run cell saver with no formal training?!? Is this common place? Where I am an SRNA, perfusion runs the cell saver.

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Specializes in Anesthesia.
No offense, but I can't believe a hospital would let someone run cell saver with no formal training?!? Is this common place? Where I am an SRNA, perfusion runs the cell saver.

One the hospitals I did a rotation at has the anesthesia techs run the cellsaver. I'm not sure about the training they have.

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Thanks everyone for the info. I had only just heard of Anesthesia technicians and just wondered what they did.

JDE8786-- YES GO STEELERS... I actually was looking at the Western School Program for the A tech program ( it popped up on a website you know those damn info pop ups for tech schools that seem to defy the pop up blocker).

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No offense, but I can't believe a hospital would let someone run cell saver with no formal training?!? Is this common place? Where I am an SRNA, perfusion runs the cell saver.
Cellsaver is almost a no-brainer to operate. The training courses from the manufacturers are three days long, and cover a surprising amount of material in those three days, more than enough to cover operating this relatively simply machine.
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None taken. We have a formal training, sort of where we train with perfusionists during cardiac cases. Tohugh, there's really not much to it.

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