Anaesthetic Assistant

The anaesthetic assistant is:

• Important to safe patient management
• Required during:
  • Preparation for and induction of anaesthesia
    Remains until dismissed.
  • During maintenance
    Available immediately when required.
  • Emergence

Staffing requirements:

• Required whenever anaesthesia is administered
• May not be unsupervised after-hours
• Require adequate supervision
• When assisting the anaesthetist, must be wholly and exclusively responsible to that anaesthetist

Educational Requirements:

• Theoretical components
  • Physiology
  • Pharmacology
  • Anatomy
  • Clinical measurement
  • Microbiology
• Non-technical skills
  • Communication
  • Situation awareness
  • Cultural competence
  • Working in a team environment
• Practical components
  • At least 12 months full time clinical experience
  • Supervised practical experience

Core competencies:

• Standards
  Understand and apply various anesthesia, workplace, occupational health, safety, and legal responsibilities/protocols.
• Anaesthesia equipment
  Understand care, use, and servicing of equipment, including:
  • Anaesthesia delivery equipment
  • Ventilators
  • Monitoring
  • Cleaning and sterilisation
  • Airway devices
• Safety
  Understand and apply safety principles to:
  • Electricity
  • Radiation
  • Lasers
  • Gas cylinders
  • Biological fluids
• Anaesthetic techniques
• Regional and local anaesthesia
• Sedation
• Invasive techniques
  • Arterial lines
  • Central lines
  • Swan-Ganz catheters
• Ultrasound
• Emergency care
• Postoperative pain

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References

1. ANZCA. PS08: Statement on the Assistant for the Anaesthetist.