Anesthesia Technology – Past, Present and Future: From Cleaners and Stockers to an Important Member of the Anesthesia Care Team

Allow yourself to venture back over three decades. You are an on-the-job trained surgical technician or an emergency medical technician looking for a change. You accept a position as an anesthesia technician, more commonly known as an anesthesia tech. Very quickly, you realize that your sole responsibility is to turn over the anesthesia equipment for the next case, clean the non-disposable portion and discard the disposable. Then, you make sure the syringes, needles, endotracheal tubes, tape, and non-controlled medications are adequately stocked. You question why you made the move to become a glorified O.R. housekeeper. As time goes on, you take an interest in the inner workings of the anesthesia machine, a simplistic volume ventilator with a couple of anesthetic vaporizers attached. You learn how to take it apart and put it back together again by asking questions when the factory-trained technicians are servicing the machine. You begin to assist...