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Anaesthetist
Hours
Variable
Starting salary
£33,300 + per year
Anaesthetists are qualified medical doctors who specialise in pain management. They often deal with emergency situations. If you want a rewarding specialist medical career this could be ideal for you.
To do this job you will need to be able to put people at ease and gain their trust. You must have good practical skills for examining patients and performing procedures. You will also need to be able to work under pressure and make quick decisions.
To work in this role you will need to complete a degree in medicine, recognised by the General Medical Council. You will then need a two-year course of general training.
WorkDesc
The work
Anaesthetists are qualified medical doctors who specialise in pain management, anaesthesia for surgery and intensive care. They often deal with emergency situations by providing advanced life support, the ability to breathe and resuscitation to the heart and lungs.
As an anaesthetist, your work could include:
- preparing patients for surgery and giving anaesthesia
- relieving pain during childbirth
- easing pain after an operation
- managing acute and chronic pain
- helping psychiatric patients receiving electric shock therapy
- providing sedation and anaesthesia to patients having radiology and radio-therapy.
You would use a range of techniques, including local anaesthetics such as epidurals and other nerve blocks. During an operation, you would observe your patient, monitor their progress and respond to any changes. You would work closely with other healthcare professionals to provide the most appropriate and complete treatment plan for your patients.
You could work in areas ranging from high dependency units to cardiac arrest teams. As a senior doctor, you could lead a team and train junior doctors, undergraduate medical students, nurses and paramedics.
HoursDesc
Hours
You will work relatively long hours, especially as a trainee (junior doctor). This will include evening, weekend and night shifts, and as part of an out of hours rota system. You could work up to 48 hours a week.
You could spend time in a variety of settings, such as consulting rooms, wards, operating theatres and special units like accident and emergency.
IncomeDesc
Income
Foundation house officers (junior doctors) can earn between £33,300 and £41,300 a year.
Doctors in specialist training can earn up to £69,400, and consultants can earn between £74,500 and £180,000 a year.
The salaries given for doctors in training include an additional amount based on average hours of overtime worked, time spent covering unsocial hours and workload.
Consultants working in private hospitals may be paid higher fees.
Figures are intended as a guideline only.
EntryRequirementsDesc
Entry requirements
To become a doctor specialising in anaesthetics you will need to complete:
- a degree in medicine, recognised by the General Medical Council (GMC)
- a two-year foundation programme of general training
- three years of core training, including acute care
- higher specialty training in anaesthesia, intensive care medicine and pain management.
See the Training and Development section below for more details.
To do a five-year degree in medicine you will usually need at least five GCSEs (A-C) including English, maths and science, plus three A levels at grades AAB in subjects such as chemistry, biology and either physics or maths. See the GMC website for details of recognised courses.
If you do not have qualifications in science, you may be able to do a six-year degree course in medicine that includes a one-year pre-medical or foundation course. You will need to check with individual universities.
If you already have an honours degree in a science subject (minimum 2:1) you may be able to join a four-year graduate entry programme to medicine. Some universities will also accept non-science graduates. See the Medical Schools Council website for details of course providers.
When you apply for a degree in medicine, you may be asked to take the UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT). Universities use this test to help them select students with the personal qualities and mental abilities needed for a career in medicine. Your university will tell you if you need to take the test.
If you trained as a doctor overseas, contact the GMC for details about registering and practising in the UK.
TrainingAndDevelopmentDesc
Training and development
Once you have a degree in medicine, you will need to complete three further stages of training to become a senior or consultant anaesthetist:
- a two-year foundation programme – you apply for this through The Foundation Programme
website. You will be known as a Foundation House Officer and work in clinical settings ranging from acute care to mental health. At the end of year one you can achieve full registration with the GMC. By the end of year two you will make your career choice to specialise in anaesthetics
- core training – this takes around three years to complete
- higher specialty training in anaesthesia – at this stage you will practise in increasingly advanced areas such as paediatric anaesthesia, neurosurgical anaesthesia and cardiac/thoracic.
As a trainee you will be assessed in the workplace, and you will only progress to the next stage when you have met the required standard. You will also sit formal examinations leading to Fellowship of the Royal College of Anaesthetists (FRCA).
When you have successfully completed the higher specialty stage, you will be awarded the Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT). This makes you eligible to join the General Medical Council (GMC) Specialist Register and apply for a licence to practise. For more information on licensing and revalidation, check the GMC website.
For more information about applying for specialty training, see the NHS Modernising Medical Careers website.
You will be expected to continue learning and developing your skills throughout your career. The Royal College of Anaesthetists website has details of all aspects of training and continuing medical education for practising anaesthetists.
SkillsAndKnowledgeDesc
Skills and knowledge
To become an anaesthetist, you will need to have:
- compassion, integrity and a strong sense of responsibility
- a keen interest and ability in science and medicine
- a genuine interest in the wellbeing of patients
- excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain choices to patients
- the ability to put people at ease and gain their trust and confidence
- the ability to work independently and as part of a team
- the potential to lead, train and supervise a team or unit
- strong analytical skills
- good practical skills for examining patients and performing procedures
- the ability to work under pressure and make quick, clear decisions.
MoreInformationDesc
More information
Royal College of Anaesthetists
Churchill House
35 Red Lion Square
London
WC1R 4SG
Tel: 020 7092 1500
www.rcoa.ac.uk
UKCAT (UK Clinical Aptitude Test)
www.ukcat.ac.uk
British Medical Association (BMA)
Tavistock Square
London
WC1H 9JP
Tel: 020 7387 4499
www.bma.org.uk
General Medical Council (GMC)
Regent's Place
350 Euston Road
London
NW1 3JN
Tel: 0845 357 3456
www.gmc-uk.org
OpportunitiesDesc
Opportunities
Competition for promotion through the various training grades can be strong, as places on specialist programmes are limited. You may also need to relocate to take up a more senior position.
As a consultant anaesthetist in the NHS, you may also find opportunities to work in the private sector. With experience, you could go on to lead a team, manage a unit or teach students, trainee anaesthetists and other healthcare professionals.
You may find specialist publications like Hospital Doctor useful for vacancies and general reading, and you could also check the following (links open in a new window):
Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.
We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.
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Related industry information
Industry summary
The health sector is represented by Skills for Health Sector Skills Council, which comprises three sub‐sectors:
- National Health Service (NHS)
- Independent Healthcare Sector (such as private and charitable healthcare providers)
- Third Sector (healthcare) (such as small local community and voluntary groups, registered charities, foundations, trusts, social enterprises and co‐operatives)
The health sector is made up of hospitals, doctors’ surgeries, dental practices, the ambulance service, nursing homes, residential care homes, complementary medicine and a huge range of other health related activities, from sight tests in opticians to research in medical laboratories. Most people in the health sector work in the publicly funded National Health Service (NHS), which includes:
- primary care (organisations which the public goes to first) – Doctors/General Practitioners (GPs), NHS Walk in Centres, NHS Direct, Out of Hours Emergency Care
- secondary care (organisations which the public are referred onto) – Ambulance Trusts, NHS Trusts/hospitals, NHS Foundation Trusts/hospitals, Mental Health Trusts, Care Trusts (provide joint health and social care activities)
NHS policy in England is directed from the centre by the Department of Health. Local organisations, known as Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), are in charge of providing and commissioning services, controlling the majority of the budget. PCTs are overseen by 10 regional organisations called Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs).
The independent sector includes companies and charities that offer hospital and specialist services usually after referral from a doctor. Operations and other work are carried out in private hospitals, independent treatment centres, mental health units and hospices.
Key facts:
- The health sector is the largest employer in the UK, representing 5.5% of the working age population of the UK and 7.3% of the working age population that are currently in employment.
- It is estimated that the sector employs over 2 million people, including:
- over 1.5 million people in the NHS (72%)
- over 0.5 million people in the Independent Healthcare sector (26%)
- almost 40,000 in the voluntary sector (2%)
- 56% of the workforce has a higher education qualification (or equivalent).
- The age profile for the sector shows an older than average workforce, which is due in part to the fact that it takes some professions a long time to train and can mean that people enter the sector later.
There is a varied list of jobs in the sector ranging from a diverse number of clinical roles, to support and infrastructure staff, for instance: Allied Health Professionals (AHPs); Ambulance Staff; Dental Staff; Doctors/Medical staff; Nursing staff; Midwifery Staff; Healthcare Scientists; Health Informatics Staff; Management; Wider Healthcare Team; Complementary Therapists.
National and regional data
High proportions of the health sector workforce are located in:
- London
- South East
- North West
East Midlands - The health sector employs 131,515 people, which accounts for 7% of all employment in the region.
- The East Midlands employs 8% of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 29% of all employment across the sector or 41,200 employees.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 133,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
East of England - The health sector employs 164,720 people, which accounts for 7% of all employment in the region.
- The East of England employs 9.8 % of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 30% of all employment across the sector or 52,300 employees.
- Vacancies in the health and social work sector account for 14% of all industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 103,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
London - The health sector employs over 249,524 people, which accounts for 6% of all the employment in the region.
- London employs 15% of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 33% of all employment across the sector or 78,500 employees.
- Vacancies in health and social work account for 12% of all industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 146,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
North East - The health sector employs 89,201 people, which accounts for 8.7% of all employment in the region.
- The North East employs 5.3 % of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 25% of all employment across the sector or 23,800 employees.
- Vacancies in the health and social work sector account for 12% of all industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be almost 46,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
North West - The health sector employs 251,960 people, which accounts for 8% of all employment in the region.
- The North West employs 15% of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 23.5% of all employment across the sector or 59,200 employees.
- Vacancies in the health and social work account for 11% of all industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 133,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
South East - The health sector employs 264,071 people, which accounts for 7.1% of all employment in the region.
- The South East employs 15.7% of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 23.5% of all employment across the sector or 59,200 employees.
- Vacancies in the health and social work sector account for 12% of all Industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 164,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
South West - The health sector employs 182,187 people, which accounts for 8.2% of all employment in the region.
- The South West employs 10.8 % of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 30% of all employment across the sector or 60,700 employees.
- Vacancies in the health and social work sector account for 12% of all Industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 105,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
West Midlands - The health sector employs 168,746 people, which accounts for 7.2% of all employment in the region.
- The West Midlands employs 10% of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 25% of all employment across the sector or 43,000 employees.
- Vacancies in the health and social work sector account for 9% of all industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 108,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
Yorkshire and the Humber - The health sector employs 182,848 people, which accounts for 8.2% of all employment in the region.
- Yorkshire and the Humber employ 10.9 % of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 24% of the total health care workforce or 42,000 employees.
- Vacancies in health and social work account for 11% of all industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 97,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
Northern Ireland - The health sector employs 61,300 people.
- Northern Ireland employs 3% of the total health sector workforce.
- 81% of the workforce is female.
- 26% of the workforce is aged 35‐44 years.
- 96% of the workforce is white.
- 10% of the workforce reports a disability.
- 48% of the workforce is in Associate Professional and Technical occupations.
- 23% of organisations in the health and social work sector report vacancies.
Scotland - The health sector employs 201,500 people.
- Scotland employs 10% of the total health sector workforce.
- 78% of the workforce is female.
- 30% of the workforce is aged 45‐54 years.
- 95% of the workforce is white.
- 14% of the workforce reports a disability.
- 39% of the workforce is in Associate Professional and Technical occupations.
- 23% of organisations in the health and social work sector report vacancies.
Wales - The health sector employs 114,900 people.
- Wales employs 6% of the total health sector workforce.
- 74% of the workforce is female.
- 34% of the workforce is aged 45‐54 years.
- 94% of the workforce is white.
- 18% of the workforce reports a disability.
- 40% of the workforce is in Associate Professional and Technical occupations.
- 27% of organisations in the health and social work sector report vacancies.
[N.B. Data derived from Labour Force Survey, 2008‐2009, Annual Business Inquiry, 2007, and Northern Ireland Census of Employment, 2007]
Career paths
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