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Studies & Degrees in Anaesthesiology

Anaesthesiology is the medical specialty that keeps patients free of pain and safe during operations and other procedures. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics describes anesthesiologists as physicians who focus on the care of surgical patients and on pain relief, and who administer the drugs that reduce or eliminate the sensation of pain. The spelling changes with the country: anesthesiology in the United States, anaesthesia in the United Kingdom, Anestesiología y Reanimación in Spain.

The work goes well beyond the operating theatre. The careers service of the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom describes four stages of a routine anaesthetic (preparation, induction, maintenance and recovery) and lists obstetric units, critical care, resuscitation services, emergency departments and chronic pain management among the places where anaesthetists work. Trainees therefore study pharmacology, physiology, airway management, monitoring, intensive care and pain medicine.

Qualifications and levels

Anaesthesiology is not a first degree. It is a postgraduate specialty for qualified doctors, and each country organises the training in its own way.

  • United States. According to the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), physician anesthesiologists complete a four-year undergraduate degree, four years of medical school and a four-year anesthesiology residency. After the residency they are eligible to sit for the American Board of Anesthesiology exam, and many add a fellowship year in an area such as pain management, cardiac anesthesia, pediatric anesthesia, obstetric anesthesia or critical care medicine. At Stanford University, for example, residents train across four hospitals.
  • United Kingdom. After medical school, doctors join the paid two-year foundation programme. Specialty training to become an anaesthetist then takes a minimum of seven or eight years, according to NHS Health Careers.
  • Spain. The Grado en Medicina takes six academic years and 360 ECTS credits, for example at the Universidad de Salamanca. Anestesiología y Reanimación is one of the medical specialties that Spanish law reserves for holders of a medical degree and that are obtained through the residency system.
  • Nepal. The Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences lists Anaesthesiology among the subjects of its postgraduate MD/MS programme.
  • Non-physician routes in the United States. Nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) must earn at least a master's degree, hold a state licence and pass a national certification exam; the ASA notes that nurses need at least one year of practice before entering an accredited programme of two to three years. Anesthesiologist assistants follow a master's programme such as the Master of Medical Science in Anesthesia Science of South University, offered in Orlando, Savannah and West Palm Beach. Its graduates must pass the national certification exam and obtain a state licence before they can work.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists 18 active schools for anaesthesiology. Nine are in the United States and two in Ukraine; Spain, the United Kingdom, Nigeria, Nepal, Ethiopia, India and Russia have one each. The US schools include Stanford University, Duke University, Yale University, New York University, the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Washington University in St. Louis and South University. Elsewhere the list includes the Universidad de Salamanca, the University of London, Kathmandu University, Obafemi Awolowo University, Addis Ababa University, the University of Delhi, Rostov State Medical University, Bukovinian State Medical University and Sumy State University.

Specialty training takes place in teaching hospitals, with patients, so it is done in the language of the country and normally requires a medical degree that the country recognises. International applicants should ask the school and the national health authority which exams, licence and language level they need before they apply.

Careers

Most specialists work in hospitals, in operating theatres, intensive care units, maternity units and pain clinics. The NHS describes anaesthetists as the largest group of hospital-based specialists in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 41,500 anesthesiologists in 2025 and projects that number to grow 4 percent from 2025 to 2035, in line with physicians and surgeons as a whole. For nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives and nurse practitioners taken together it projects growth of 36 percent over the same period.

The ASA describes an anesthesia care team directed by a physician anesthesiologist, in which anesthesiologist assistants and nurse anesthetists work alongside doctors in training. Subspecialties such as pain medicine and critical care medicine require additional training and examinations.

Frequently asked questions

Can I study anaesthesiology as a bachelor's degree?

No. Doctors specialise in anaesthesiology after a medical degree. The exception is the non-physician route in the United States, where nurse anesthetists and anesthesiologist assistants train at master's level.

How long does it take to become an anesthesiologist in the United States?

According to the ASA, four years of undergraduate study, four years of medical school and a four-year residency: twelve years after high school, plus an optional fellowship year.

What is the specialty called in Spain?

Anestesiología y Reanimación. It is a medical specialty obtained through the residency system after the six-year Grado en Medicina.

What is the difference between an anesthesiologist and a nurse anesthetist?

An anesthesiologist is a physician who has completed medical school and a residency. A nurse anesthetist is a registered nurse with at least a master's degree in the specialty and a national certification.