Anesthesiologist: What is the cost of hiring?

Why hire an anesthesiologist?

Hiring an anesthesiologist is an essential part of running any surgical facility.

A great anesthesiologist can help your business:

• Keep surgical patients comfortable
• Monitor vital functions during procedures
• Oversee the administration of pain medication

Deciding between a full-time vs freelance anesthesiologist

There are a few reasons why a hospital or an individual might hire a freelance anesthesiologist. Hospitals may hire a freelancer due to a temporarily increased workload in their surgical department or emergency surgery with no anesthesiologists on staff. A freelance or privately employed surgeon could also hire freelance anesthesiologists to provide anesthesia during their surgical procedures. 

Hospitals should always have at least a few full-time anesthesiologists to handle anesthesia responsibilities during surgery. Due to the lower hourly cost of full-time employees, this would save the health care facility money in the long run. 

What are the types of anesthesiologists?

There are many types of anesthesiologists who specialize in different areas of anesthesiology. Some of these specialties include:

• Pain management: Pain management anesthesiology specialists are responsible for relieving patients’ pain both during and after surgical procedures. They also work in intensive care units and pain clinics. 
• Cardiac anesthesia: Cardiac anesthesiologists provide anesthesia services during surgeries involving the heart and the vascular system. The cardiac anesthesiologist meets with the patient before the surgery to discuss their medical history and any allergies. 
• Pediatric anesthesia: Pediatric anesthesiologists examine medical issues in infants and children prior to surgery. They then provide anesthesia for the patient during the procedure. 
• Critical care anesthesia: Critical care anesthesiologists provide anesthesia during surgery for patients who are in critical condition. 
• Palliative care and hospice: Anesthesiologists who specialize in palliative care help patients with fatal conditions and do-not-resuscitate orders to manage their symptoms and pain.

Where to find anesthesiologists

To find the right anesthesiologist for your health care facility, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

• Stay in contact with local schools. Maintaining relationships with medical schools in the area could provide leads on recently graduated students who have studied anesthesiology. While there are requirements they must meet after graduation, they can still act in a resident capacity.
• Communicate with other hospitals. Other hospitals in the city could have information about anesthesiologists who are looking for employment. Reach out to these hospitals and set up interviews with potential candidates. 
• Post help wanted signs. Help wanted signs can attract attention for the position and lead to potential applicants. 
• Post your job online. Try posting your anesthesiologist job on Indeed to find and attract quality anesthesiologist candidates.

Skills to look for in a great Anesthesiologist

An excellent Anesthesiologist candidate will have the following skills and attributes as well as work experience that reflects:

• Ability to quickly problem solve
• Meticulous attention to detail
• Accountability
• Friendly bedside manner
• Interpersonal skills
• Organized

Writing an anesthesiologist job description

A thoughtful description is important for finding qualified anesthesiologist candidates. An anesthesiologist job description includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities and the required and preferred skills for the position.

When writing your anesthesiologist job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting . These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on anesthesiologist jobs, according to Indeed data:

• Anesthesiologist
• Anesthesiologist assistant
• Physician assistant
• Physician
• Pediatric anesthesiologist
• Anesthesiologists
• CRNA
• Dental anesthesiologist
• Anesthesiologist visa
• Anesthesia

Interviewing anesthesiologist candidates

Strong candidates for anesthesiologist positions will be confident answering questions regarding:

• Their surgical experience
• How many surgical cases they’ve performed
• How they manage stress on the job

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of anesthesiologist interview questions for examples (with sample answers).