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Anaesthetists

ANZSCO ID 2532

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Overview

Snapshot

Employed
11,700
Future Growth
3%
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
78%
Female Share
33%
Average age
44
About this data

Summary

Anaesthetists provide direct medical care to patients requiring general or local anaesthesia for surgical, diagnostic and other procedures such as prevention of pain and maintenance of body function. Anaesthetic Registrars training as Anaesthetists are included here.

Specialisations: Intensive Care Anaesthetist, Obstetric Anaesthetist, Pain Management Specialist.

Medical Practitioners need to undertake a fellowship with the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists to become an Anaesthetist.

Tasks

  • performing pre-operative examinations of patients to determine appropriate anaesthetic and sedation in concurrence with Internal Medicine Specialists and Surgeons

  • discussing the anaesthetic process with patients and obtaining their informed consent prior to surgery

  • administering local, regional and general anaesthetics using a variety of methods such as inhalational and intravenous administration

  • supervising the transfer of patients to operating theatres, positioning on operating tables, keeping patients warm, and responding quickly and accurately if any problems arise

  • monitoring patients throughout surgical procedures and in immediate post-operative procedures

  • recording details of anaesthetic and sedation administered, and the condition of patients before, during and after anaesthesia

  • liaising with other health care workers to provide diagnosis and treatment for patients with chronic pain, and to diagnose and treat patients requiring intensive care or resuscitation

  • may instruct medical, nursing, student and ancillary staff on the signs, symptoms and diagnosis of allergic and anaphylactic reactions to anaesthetic agents, and supervision and treatment of life threatening emergencies

Characteristics

Job Type
Professionals
Skill Level
Very high skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
2532 Anaesthetists This occupation is Current selected
Unemployment Rate
Below average
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • University
Interests
  • Practical
  • Analytical
  • Helping
Physical Demand
  • Sedentary
  • Light

Outlook

Employment Outlook

JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. The latest data are for the five years from November 2021 to November 2026. Over this period, the number of workers:

  • is expected to grow moderately
  • is likely to reach 6,000 by 2026.

    • Source: Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.

    Notes: The number employed includes people who work in this occupation as their main job. People who work in more than one job are counted against the occupation they work the most hours in.

    Employment projections figures are rounded to the nearest 100. Calculations based on these rounded figures may result in differences to the numbers that are displayed on this page. Employment projections data (including occupations) can be downloaded from the Employment Projections page.

Projected Change
3%
(or 200 jobs)
From
5,800
in 2021
To
6,000
in 2026

Number of Workers

Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2021 and Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.
Year Employment
2011 3,300
2012 3,700
2013 3,100
2014 3,000
2015 3,900
2016 3,300
2017 3,500
2018 4,900
2019 3,500
2020 4,100
2021 5,800
2026 6,000

Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2021 and Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.

Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 81% of people employed as Anaesthetists work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 15 percentage points above the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 47 hours per week in their main job. This is 3 hours more than the all jobs average (44 hours per week).

    Sources:Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average.

Industries

Main industries

1
Health Care and Social Assistance
100.0%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

30.0% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

24.5% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

21.1% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

7.8% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

11.5% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

2.4% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.9% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.9% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Anaesthetists All Jobs Average
NSW 30.0 31.6
VIC 24.5 25.6
QLD 21.1 20.0
SA 7.8 7.0
WA 11.5 10.8
TAS 2.4 2.0
NT 0.9 1.0
ACT 1.9 1.9


Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
44
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
33%
All Jobs Average is 48%

  • The median age of Anaesthetists is 44 years. This is higher than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 35 to 44 years.

    Females make up 33% of the workforce. This is 15 percentage points below the all jobs average of 48%.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile and gender share compared to the all jobs average.

Age Profile (% Share)

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Bracket Anaesthetists All Jobs Average
15-19 0.0 5.0
20-24 0.1 9.3
25-34 17.6 22.9
35-44 34.4 22.0
45-54 25.3 21.6
55-59 10.0 9.0
60-64 6.7 6.0
65 and Over 6.0 4.2
Median Age 44 40

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.

Employment Pathways

Education, training and experience

Medical Practitioners need to undertake a fellowship with the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists to become an Anaesthetist.

Registration with the Medical Board of Australia is required.

Visit

  • Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
  • ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.

Highest Level of Education (% Share)

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Type of Qualification Anaesthetists All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 48.1 10.1
Bachelor degree 50.0 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 1.3 11.6
Certificate III/IV 0.0 21.1
Year 12 0.5 18.1
Year 11 0.0 4.8
Year 10 and below 0.0 12.5

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.

Skills and Knowledge

Employers look for Anaesthetists who are caring, compassionate, empathetic and work well in a team.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 70%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 63%

    Critical thinking

    Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

  • 63%

    Monitoring

    Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.

  • 61%

    Active listening

    Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

  • 61%

    Judgment and decision making

    Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.

  • 59%

    Active learning

    Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.

  • 57%

    Complex problem solving

    Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

  • 57%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 57%

    Time management

    Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.

  • 57%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 55%

    Science

    Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

  • 54%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 54%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 54%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 54%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 52%

    Operation monitoring

    Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

  • 50%

    Management of personnel resources

    Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.

  • 48%

    Learning strategies

    Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.

  • 46%

    Systems evaluation

    Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

  • 46%

    Systems analysis

    Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect it.

Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 92%

    Medicine and dentistry

    Diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities, including preventive health-care measures.

  • 72%

    Biology

    Plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, how they rely on and work with each other and the environment.

  • 67%

    Psychology

    Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.

  • 66%

    Customer and personal service

    Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.

  • 63%

    Chemistry

    Chemical composition, structure, and properties. How chemicals are made, used, mixed, and can change.

  • 61%

    Education and training

    Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

  • 60%

    English language

    English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

  • 54%

    Physics

    The physical laws of matter, motion and energy, and how they interact through space and time.

  • 51%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 50%

    Computers and electronics

    Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

  • 48%

    Administration and management

    Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.

  • 43%

    Therapy and counselling

    Diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and career counselling and guidance.

  • 38%

    Law and government

    How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.

  • 38%

    Personnel and human resources

    Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.

  • 36%

    Engineering and technology

    Use engineering, science and technology to design and produce goods and services.

  • 34%

    Mechanical

    Machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

  • 29%

    Clerical

    Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.

  • 26%

    Sociology and anthropology

    Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

  • 25%

    Public safety and security

    Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.

  • 25%

    Economics and accounting

    Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.

Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 79%

    Problem spotting

    Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.

  • 71%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 70%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 70%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 68%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 68%

    Inductive reasoning

    Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.

  • 59%

    Near vision

    See details that are up-close (within a few feet).

  • 59%

    Sorting or ordering

    Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

  • 57%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 57%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 55%

    Arm-hand steadiness

    Keep your hand or arm steady.

  • 55%

    Perceptual speed

    Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

  • 55%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 55%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 54%

    Flexibility of closure

    See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.

  • 54%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.

  • 46%

    Brainstorming

    Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.

  • 46%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 43%

    Control precision

    Quickly change the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

  • 39%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

Activities

These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.

  • 91%

    Making decisions and solving problems

    Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.

  • 90%

    Helping and caring for others

    Providing personal assistance, medical attention, or emotional support.

  • 85%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

    Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.

  • 84%

    Looking for changes over time

    Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.

  • 84%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

    Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.

  • 82%

    Controlling equipment or machines

    Operating machines or processes either directly or using controls (not including computers or vehicles).

  • 82%

    Collecting and organising information

    Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.

  • 80%

    Making sense of information and ideas

    Looking at, working with, and understanding data or information.

  • 79%

    Checking compliance with standards

    Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

  • 79%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 74%

    Communicating within a team

    Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 73%

    Documenting or recording information

    Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

  • 72%

    Checking for errors or defects

    Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials for errors, problems or defects.

  • 70%

    Planning and prioritising work

    Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.

  • 70%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 69%

    Training and teaching others

    Understanding the needs of others, developing training programs, and teaching or instructing.

  • 65%

    Assessing and evaluating things

    Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.

  • 65%

    Giving expert advice

    Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups.

  • 65%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use information.

  • 60%

    Estimating amounts, costs and resources

    Working out sizes, distances, amounts, time, costs, resources, or materials needed for a task.

Interests and demands

Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.

Interests

Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.

  • 76%

    Analytical

    Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.

  • 71%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 71%

    Practical

    Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

  • 38%

    Administrative

    Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.

  • 38%

    Enterprising

    Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.

  • 29%

    Creative

    Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.

Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.

  • 86%

    Achievement

    Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

  • 86%

    Independence

    Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.

  • 86%

    Relationships

    Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

  • 81%

    Recognition

    Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.

  • 81%

    Support

    Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.

  • 79%

    Working conditions

    Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.

Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:

  • 99%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 98%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 97%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 96%

    Contact with people

    Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.

  • 95%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 95%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 95%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 94%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 93%

    Wear common protective or safety equipment

    Wear equipment like safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets.

  • 93%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 92%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 92%

    Disease or infection

    Be exposed to disease or infections.

  • 91%

    Consequence of error

    Work where mistakes have serious consequences.

  • 89%

    Unstructured work

    Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.

  • 88%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 86%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 85%

    Exposure to contaminants

    Be exposed to pollutants, gases, dust or odours.

  • 84%

    Health and safety of others

    Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.

  • 81%

    Wear specialized protective or safety equipment

    Wear equipment like breathing apparatus, safety harness, full protection suits, or radiation protection.

  • 80%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

Occupational Information Network
O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 29-1061.00 - Anesthesiologists.

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