Do you get the drive of working in the field of medicine and wish to excel in the field of healthcare? Does working in a medical setting donned in scrubs interest you? If yes, then the job as an anesthesia technician would be the perfect start for your career. Moreover this job is rising in demand as well as in stature. The study abroad consultants in India are providing all the necessary inputs about how one should go about their career planning as anesthesia technician.
Technologist VS Technician
One may easily confuse an anesthesia technician with a technologist but it must be understood that the differences in ability and application are substantial. The anesthesia technologist is usually the holders of bachelor’s degree whereas the technicians may hold a one year diploma which they are qualified to pursue after finishing their 12th exam. They are both recruited in the best hospitals but some practice in outpatient surgery facilities or physician practices. It is the specific needs of the employer that better defines the role of an anesthesia technician.
Broadly speaking, the technologists have a particular time assigned in the operating room (OR) to assist the surgical team and the anesthesiologist or certified registered nurse anesthesiologist (CRNA). Their job is also to monitor and operate the various types of equipment for intravenous and gas-induced anesthesia. The main reason is that they need to be at the OR till the time the procedure is finished. This requires them to stand for long hours in sterile yet busy environment.
Preparing for Surgery
As an anesthesia technician, it is a responsibility to ensure adequate stock of all the required equipment in the operation theatre. In fact the bulk of an anesthesia technician is to look after all the needs with regard to equipment and required for surgery. Since the work is done in an entirely sterile environment, they must commit themselves in order to avoid any kind of blips or compromise in focus. Additionally, they are also to ensure airway management equipment. This means that they have to keep the operation room stocked with some of the most necessary equipment like emergency intubation kits, light wands, fiberoptic bronchoscopes, laryngeal masks and cuffed oropharyngeal airway gear. Other pre-surgery tasks include:
- Preparing patients;
- Ensure that the suctioning equipment in hand is fully functional.
- Setting up endotracheal tubes (ET);
- Arranging transtracheal jet ventilation devices;
- Stocking self-inflating resuscitation bags, breathing circuits and masks;
- Ensuring the adequate stock of laryngoscope blades;
- Double-checking instrument calibrations;
- Ensuring gas cylinders are full, functional and on hand.
After Surgery
The anesthesia technician is required prior to the surgery but they must also be present afterward as well. Post operation, the surgical technicians dismantle and clean their own equipment of the OT. Likewise, an anesthetic technician has to do the same with their own items.
Some of the most preferred sterilization method that these technicians should be aware of is steam, gamma radiation and such chemicals as ethylene oxide and glutaraldehyde. They disassemble, sterilize and clean all reusable items they may have provided for a surgical team. Besides many other post surgery tasks, the anesthesia technicians also:
- Check for soda lime depletion in the CO2 absorbers;
- Dismantle (and reassemble before surgery) absorbers for cleaning and sterilization;
- Handle and store all volatile gas cylinders and related supplies;
- Dispose of spent CO2 absorbent;
- Recalibrate instrumentation.