Average Anesthesiologist Salary
A job as an anesthesiologist is definitely a career choice not to be taken lightly. 12 plus years of education before being able to practice makes it a serious choice, not to mention the importance of the job itself, basically the lifeline of an individual while undergoing surgery. So a high anesthesiologist salary is payback for all things considered here.
Anesthesiologists are medical doctors who administer anesthetics to an individual during surgical procedures. According to CNN Money, it ranks as the 11th best job in Canada in the Health Care Sector. In Canada the median take home annual salary of an anesthesiologist is $292,000. The responsibility of an anesthesiologist does not stop at administering the anesthetic. He/she must initially assess an individual to find how appropriate they are to have an anesthetic, what type to use and how much. They monitor the patient’s condition before, during and after surgery.
Of course as in any profession, demographics play a large role in salary and wages and it is no different for anesthesiologist salary across the United States and Canada. Here are some statistics taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the different states.
The industries with the highest level of employment are physician’s offices, medical and surgical hospitals, outpatient care services, colleges, universities and professional schools. Top paying industries are Physician’s offices, outpatient care centres, offices of other health practitioners, medical and surgical hospitals and specialty hospitals with annual average anesthesiologist salary ranging respectively from $181,600 to $228,040. The results based on hourly mean wages would range from $109.63 down to $87.31. There are some reports of anesthesiologist salary upwards of $300,000 to $450,000 annually for qualified and experienced anesthesiologists.
States with the highest employment levels are California, Texas, New York, Illinois and Florida. You can expect a higher anesthesiologist salary from these top paying states: Wyoming, Tennessee, Oregon, New Jersey and New Hampshire.
Anesthesiologist’s are required in any industry that involves surgery, and so this is basically a portable profession. There is currently a shortage of qualified anesthesiologists and so often doctors will take Locum Tenens assignments temporarily and are often paid bonuses and higher wages for specialty cases such as cardiac or paediatric cases.
The medical and health industry is growing and surgery is no longer considered just as a necessary requirement to sustain life. Elective surgery is in demand with waiting lists of months and even years. With an aging population and today’s society insisting on better quality of life and not just accepting old age, the need for qualified anesthesiologists will grow where there is already a deficit. Many current physicians are retiring or on the verge and there is a deficit of doctors to fill their positions. With such a high demand already and projected difficulties filling these positions, these will be highly sought after professionals and could possibly drive the wages even higher in the future.
As stated before, this is not a career choice to be taken lightly, but if your goal is already set as a medical doctor, you may want to go the extra mile and secure your future as an anesthesiologist. The statistics speak for themselves.
