Introduction to the Operating Room
LESSON 2: Operating Room Personnel, Policies, and Nomenclature
2-15
2-15. CHIEF, ANESTHESIOLOGY AND OPERATIVE SERVICES
a. Discussion.
(1) The Chief of Anesthesiology and Operative Services (see figure 2-1) is an MC Officer certified in the specialty of anesthesiology. He is responsible for the administration of all anesthetics except when local anesthesia is given by the surgeon. In addition, he is responsible for the performance of certain other delegated duties.
(2) The Chief of Surgery delegates numerous duties to the Chief of Anesthesiology such as some of the supervision and schedule planning (ORschedule).
b. Personnel Assigned. The personnel assigned to the Chief of Anesthesiology will depend upon whether or not an installation has an anesthesiology-training program. If it has such a program, the personnel assigned will be resident medical officers in anesthesiology, MC Officer interns who rotate through the department, AN anesthetists, and AN students of anesthesiology.
(1) In those Army-type hospitals not conducting training in anesthesiology, the anesthesiology and operative services may consist of the Chief, Anesthesiology and Operative services, and one or more AN anesthetists.
(2) An OR specialist may be assigned directly to the anesthesiology service where he may assist in positioning and transporting patients and assist the anesthesiologist as directed in handling his equipment. When no specialist is assigned to the anesthesiology service, the OR specialist serving as circulator is responsible for assisting in the performance of these and other tasks as directed by the anesthesiologist or anesthetist. NOTE: An MC Officer who is certified as a specialist in the administration of anesthetics is an anesthesiologist. Other persons who administer anesthetics--such as the AN Officer especially trained in anesthesiology, and the surgeon when he administers a local anesthetic--are appropriately called anesthetists. However, in actual practice in the surgical suite, the person who gives the anesthetic is usually referred to as the anesthetist, even though he may be certified as an anesthesiologist.
