Difference between anesthetist and anesthesiologist?

Hi there- The primary difference is the education and training involved. An anesthesiologist is a doctor who has completed years of training in anesthesiology. An anesthetist is a nurse, who after a few years of experience, returned to anesthesia school for 2 years of anesthesia training. While, being doctors,... more

An anesthetist has an R.N. degree and went to nursing school and did a usually two-year nursing anesthetist program. An M.D. physician anesthesiologist went to four years of medical school then completed four or five years of residency specializing just in anesthesia. Both anesthetists and anesthesiologists... more

Nurse anesthetists typically work under the supervision of an anesthesiologist (MD) in a hospital. The problem with general anesthesia outside of a hospital operating room is the lack of emergency support when something goes wrong (e.g. Michael Jackson). Although nurse anesthetists typically give anesthesia... more

Safety is the first concern when to come to outpatient facility and anaesthesia. When it comes to free standing surgery centers, it is very important to check for certification e.g AAA, AAAA etc... An anesthesiologist is an MD; an anesthetist is an RN. I use board certified anesthrsiologists but I know of many... more

Dear Researcher:  You as a question the many of our patients ask.  An anesthesiologist is a MD physician working in the field of anesthesia.  Most anesthesiologists are board certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology, and provide physician level anesthesia care.  Many supervise... more

An anesthesiologist is an MD; an anesthetist is an RN. With proper training both are qualified to administer anesthesia in a surgeon's accredited office operating room. Over the past  30 years I have used both. Make sure the operating rooms are accredited or certified. Here in California we have made this... 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

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

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

 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