A professional who administers anesthetics to render patients insensible to pain during surgical, obstetrical, and other medical procedures. Responsibilities include:

• Examines patient to determine degree of surgical risk, and type of anesthetic and sedation to administer, and discusses findings with medical practitioner concerned with case.
• Positions patient on operating table and administers local, intravenous, spinal, caudal, or other anesthetic according to prescribed medical standards.
• Institutes remedial measures to counteract adverse reactions or complications.
• Records type and amount of anesthetic and sedation administered and condition of patient before, during, and after anesthesia.
• May instruct medical students and other personnel in characteristics and methods of administering various types of anesthetics, signs and symptoms of reactions and complications, and emergency measures to employ.