Skip to content
Boston Career Explorer

Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

Anesthesiologists

Administer anesthetics and analgesics for pain management prior to, during, or after surgery.

Also called: Anesthesiologist MD (Anesthesiologist Medical Doctor), Anesthesiology Resident, Attending Anesthesiologist, Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist, Critical Care Anesthesiologist, Medical Doctor (MD)

Median pay in Greater Boston
Not published
Jobs in Greater Boston
860
Massachusetts 2024–2034
−0.7%
40 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Doctoral or professional degree
plus Internship/residency

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
Not publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot published

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Examine patient, obtain medical history, and use diagnostic tests to determine risk during surgical, obstetrical, and other medical procedures.
  • Administer anesthetic or sedation during medical procedures, using local, intravenous, spinal, or caudal methods.
  • Record type and amount of anesthesia and patient condition throughout procedure.
  • Monitor patient before, during, and after anesthesia and counteract adverse reactions or complications.
  • Decide when patients have recovered or stabilized enough to be sent to another room or ward or to be sent home following outpatient surgery.
  • Coordinate administration of anesthetics with surgeons during operation.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Moderate exposure51 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 53
  • Language-model AIOE 52
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 49

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

Anesthesiologists have moderate AI exposure. AI tools could help with record keeping, reviewing patient history and test results, and watching patient data. Giving anesthesia, handling complications, and deciding when a patient is ready to move are not tasks AI tools touch. Observed AI use is little or none so far.

Likely to change

  • Recording anesthesia type, amounts, and patient condition
  • Reviewing medical history and risk tests

Still relies on people

  • Giving anesthesia and sedation during procedures
  • Responding to complications and clearing patients for recovery

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Physician Assistants

    Reading test results and making treatment decisions carry over. This role needs a master's degree, has lower AI exposure, and is expected to grow quickly.

    Pay difference
    Not published
    AI exposure
    Moderate
    MA growth
    +18.2%
    To get started
    Master's degree
  • Respiratory Therapists

    You already monitor patients and respond to adverse reactions. Respiratory therapists do this with ventilators and gas therapy, with an associate's degree and solid growth.

    Pay difference
    Not published
    AI exposure
    Moderate
    MA growth
    +10.4%
    To get started
    Associate's degree
  • Paramedics

    Emergency care and quick action on unstable patients carry over. Paramedics need a shorter training program, though pay is lower than your current work.

    Pay difference
    Not published
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +2.0%
    To get started
    Postsecondary nondegree award

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

0 programs near Boston (plus 3 graduate)

No programs below a master’s degree near Boston map to this job. Tick the box above to see graduate programs.

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.

Talk to a career coach