Anesthesiologist Assistant

In a profession that requires the utmost in responsibility, we offer a program that will help you develop the skills to provide safe and efficacious anesthesia care for patients of all ages, degrees of illness, and surgical procedures. Our Anesthesiologist Assistant program is one of ten training programs in the country. Upon completion of classroom, laboratory, and clinical requirements, you’ll be awarded a Master of Medical Science in Anesthesia Science (MMSc).

Anesthesiologist assistants are qualified by virtue of their education and training at the master’s degree level, in association with LCME (Liaison Committee on Medical Education) accredited schools of medicine, to deliver anesthesia as a member of an anesthesia care team lead by a physician anesthesiologist.

The South University Anesthesiologist Assistant program is specifically designed to provide classroom, laboratory, and clinical experiences that prepare graduates to deliver anesthesia care to patients of all ages and severity of illness for the full spectrum of surgical procedures.

The federal government recognizes anesthesiologist assistants as equivalent to nurse anesthetists in the anesthesia care team mode of anesthesia delivery. Depending upon state laws, an anesthesiologist may supervise up to four anesthetizing locations staffed by any combination of anesthesiologist assistants and nurse anesthetists. Under the direction of an anesthesiologist, the duties of an anesthesiologist assistant include but are not limited to: gathering preoperative patient data, establishing an airway and managing appropriate ventilation of the lungs, administering the entire spectrum of drugs used in the current practice of anesthesiology, placing various systems for vascular access, continuously assessing the functionality of the anesthesia machine and all patient-related equipment, and establishing and interpreting a full range of patient monitoring that is appropriate for the care of the patient during anesthetic management.