Difference between anesthetist and anesthesiologist?

Hi.  An anesthesiologist is a physician.  An anesthetist usually refers to a nurse.  Both have training in administering anesthesia; however a physician has more training and education.  The regulations vary from state to state.  In some states, a nurse anesthetist can work on their... more

Very different. Anesthetist is usually a nurse with extra training in the field of anesthesiologist and has the ability to administer anesthesia. In most surgery centers and hospital settings they work under the supervision of a board certified Anesthesiologist. Anesthesiologist is a physician who has gone... more

I think you have been given very good information by Dr. Pfeifer in the post above.  I would like to add my emphasis to the importance of having the proper accreditation for the facility where you are doing your surgery.  Make sure the accreditation is done by one of the organizations that... more

Dear Researcher I have worked with many anesthesiologist and anesthetists.  The anesthesiologist is a physician who has completed a residency in anesthesiology.   A Certified Nurse Anesthetist is a nurse with a four year degree (BSN) and a minimum of 1 year of critical care nursing. However, I... more

Simply put an anesthetist is an RN and an Anesthesiologist is an MD.  It is common for an anesthetist to give sedation in the office setting and certainly within anyone's standard of care.  I would allow any of our nurse anesthetists to give sedation to any of my family members! 

Just a quick point of clarification to add: An RN can give sedation under the supervision of an MD, but a nurse anesthetist (CRNA) has years of additional training to specialize in giving anesthesia. They still must work with an MD, usually the surgeon. No differences in safety or other outcomes have been... more

 This is a significant difference you have touched upon!  Such an important difference, in fact, that the AAAASF (the most demanding of all accreditation agencies for a plastic surgeon's OR) requires that you have an MD Anesthesiologist.  The doctor clearly has a higher level of training and... more

There are many highly qualified people who administer anesthesia and both an anesthetist (typically an RN) and an anesthesiologist (an MD) are capable.  There are well trained and very competent people in both fields,  just as there are people with poor skills in both fields. In my own practice we... more

Hi! In our New York City ACCREDITED office surgical suite, we think it is safest to have anesthesia by board certified anesthesiologists.  These are medical doctors who did a residency in anesthesia, and then passed rigorous testing. Some anesthetists are good, but they are not doctors, and have not had... more

This is a difficult question to answer and is hotly debated and not dissimilar to similar questions such as opthalmologist vs optometrist, or podiatrist vs orthopedic surgeon. As already stated an anesthetist usually refers to a nurse (RN or CRNA) whereas an anesthesiologist refers to a phsician (MD or DO)... more