Charge anaesthetic technician

By ANGELA MCCARTHY

Name: Stephanie Lewis

Age: 35

Role: Charge anaesthetic technician at Middlemore Hospital

Working hours: 40 hours plus. Rostered 7.30am to 6pm Tuesday to Friday and on-call

Average pay: $38,000 to $60,000


Qualifications and institution: New Zealand Certificate of Proficiency in Anaesthetic Technology. Now called Certificate in Anaesthetic Technology. Only offered through Auckland Institute of Technology in association with the New Zealand Anaesthetic Technicians Society

Career prospects: Management, sales, education

Q. Describe what you do

A. An anaesthetic technician usually works in the operating theatre assisting the anaesthetist with regional and general anaesthetics. This includes preparing the anaesthetist machine and ancillary equipment.

We also run the cell saver when required. This collects the patient's blood, then washes it so it can be used for the patient again. One day I may work my whole shift with one case, another day I may have eight or nine cases.

Anaesthetic technicians need to be able to react quickly and appropriately if a crisis occurs.

As charge technician I'm also on call which means trainees can ring me if they need assistance on evenings or weekends. I also get called if a major trauma occurs and extra theatres need to be opened. I have two team leaders and 30 technicians reporting to me.

Q. Why did you choose this line of work?

A. I was always interested in a medical career. I was thinking of nursing, then saw this and thought I would try it instead. It intrigued me and wasn't a well known area. I entered training as a school leaver 19 years ago.

Q. What sort of training or experience do you need to do the job?

A. To qualify as a technician you need to have the Certificate in Anaesthetic Technology which includes study of anatomy, physiology, biophysics, anaesthesia, patient monitoring and care, blood and fluid management. This can take up to three years.

School leavers or adults with no medical background need to do 2080 hours of clinical practice each year for three years.

Trainees with paramedical backgrounds, such as ambulance officers, enrolled nurses, hospital laboratory workers, do two years or 4160 hours of clinical experience. Registered nurses do one year.

The final examination is three days long. It includes an anaesthetic machine check that must be done within a required time limit, a clinical scenario that must be worked through according to set criteria and equipment and clinical oral tests.

Q. What skills or qualities do you need?

A. You must be a people person. You need to be empathetic. When checking the machine you have to be very methodical. You also need to be a good negotiator as you're working with many people from different backgrounds. And you need an interest in things medical.

Q. Best part of the job?

A. It is a job that has exceeded all my expectations. I love the patient contact and satisfaction of knowing I got someone through an operation. I also love the continual challenges and constant development in technical and clinical practice.

Q. Most challenging part?

A. Dealing with death and negative outcomes is hard. Some traumas can be very challenging and difficult. I also struggled to find a balance with home and work commitments initially. I had to learn when to say no.

Q. Advice to someone wanting to do the same thing?

A. There is a national shortage of anaesthetic technicians so we're keen to hear from interested people. Your local hospital should be your first port of call.

Find out if it is one of the 24 hospitals registered to train anaesthetic technicians in New Zealand. Ask to go in and have a look around. We're always very happy to do this at Counties Manukau.

You can also contact AUT and enrol in the anatomy and biophysics papers. This shows you're genuinely serious about the job.

Q. Career hopes for the future?

A. I've been involved with the national board for 10 years. I've co-written anaesthetic papers for national courses and been a national examiner.

I have pulled back from some of those responsibilities because I've got a young family. In the future I could enter management. This is a career that requires you to continually update skills and knowledge about new technologies and practices so it never becomes boring.

NZ Anaesthetic Technicians Society