Anesthesiologists
Administer anesthetics and analgesics for pain management prior to, during, or after surgery.
Anesthesiologists administer anesthetics and analgesics for pain management prior to, during, or after surgery. The role is projected to grow 3% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Entry typically requires a Doctoral or professional degree, and shows low AI exposure (0.29 on a 0-1 scale) — the role's core work resists automation. The most in-demand skills for the role include Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Active Listening, Judgment and Decision Making, Reading Comprehension.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £92,847 a year for Specialist medical practitioners (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £67,335 to £136,100 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2212). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Anesthesiologists, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
How to get here in India
The usual route into this career in India. Each step links to the official page it comes from.
- 1 · Entrance exam NEET-UG for admission to MBBS[1][2]
- 2 · Qualification MBBS degree from an NMC-listed medical college[3]
- 3 · Registration Registration as a medical practitioner on the National Medical Register / with a State Medical Council[3][4]
- 4 · Qualification NEET-PG for a postgraduate seat, then MD in Anaesthesia[5][6]
Rules change: check the exam body's and regulator's current notice before you apply.
- NEET (UG) — National Testing Agency (read on 2026-09-27)
- MCC UG Medical Counselling — Medical Counselling Committee, MoHFW (read on 2026-09-27)
- National Medical Commission — home (read on 2026-09-27)
- NMC — Ethics & Medical Registration Board (read on 2026-09-27)
- MCC PG Medical Counselling — Medical Counselling Committee, MoHFW (read on 2026-09-27)
- NMC — PG Curriculum (competency-based PG programmes) (read on 2026-09-27)
Entrance exams on this route — Dates, eligibility and cut-offs for the exams on the way to this career:
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Biology
- English Language
- Chemistry
- Customer and Personal Service
- Psychology
- Physics
- Education and Training
A day in the life
You start the day in the pre-operative area, examining the patients on your list, reviewing test results and deciding on the safest anaesthesia plan for each. In theatre you put the first patient to sleep, secure the airway and position them carefully with the team. Throughout the operation you watch the monitors, adjusting medicines and fluids as the surgeon works and warning of any risk. Between cases you record the type and amount of every drug given. Mid-morning you are called to the emergency department to help prepare a badly injured patient for urgent surgery. After lunch you give a spinal anaesthetic to a woman having a caesarean, then check on patients in the recovery room and adjust their pain relief. Late in the day you review tomorrow's list. The pressure is constant and the hours are long, but keeping patients safe through their most vulnerable moments is a profound responsibility.
Illustrative: one typical day, written from the O*NET task statements for this occupation. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- Monitor patient before, during, and after anesthesia and counteract adverse reactions or complications.
- Record type and amount of anesthesia and patient condition throughout procedure.
- Provide and maintain life support and airway management and help prepare patients for emergency surgery.
- Administer anesthetic or sedation during medical procedures, using local, intravenous, spinal, or caudal methods.
- Examine patient, obtain medical history, and use diagnostic tests to determine risk during surgical, obstetrical, and other medical procedures.
- Position patient on operating table to maximize patient comfort and surgical accessibility.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Anesthesiologists do?
Administer anesthetics and analgesics for pain management prior to, during, or after surgery.
What does a typical day look like in Anesthesiologists?
You start the day in the pre-operative area, examining the patients on your list, reviewing test results and deciding on the safest anaesthesia plan for each. In theatre you put the first patient to sleep, secure the airway and position them carefully with the team. Throughout the operation you watch the monitors, adjusting medicines and fluids as the surgeon works and warning of any risk. Between cases you record the type and amount of every drug given.
What is the job outlook for Anesthesiologists?
The role is projected to grow 3% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Current US employment is approximately 45,300 workers.
How do I become a anesthesiologists?
The typical entry education is a Doctoral or professional degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Anesthesiologists need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Active Listening, Judgment and Decision Making, Reading Comprehension, Complex Problem Solving. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Anesthesiologists?
Our AI-durability model gives Anesthesiologists a score of 0.29 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at low AI exposure — the role's core work resists current-generation automation. It's a comparatively AI-durable choice within its field.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Anesthesiologists has very high barrier to entry — very highly gated — extended graduate education, licensure, or years of specialised training are required.