Anesthesiologist: Legally-induced comas!

Introduction
Anesthesiology is not easy. People have this misconception that anesthesiologists just stand around and administer some generic anesthesia to a person, but it's simply not true. You have to know which anesthesia works best for each operation and how they all work together to affect a person's body. It's a lot to memorize and learn, which is why the field requires rigorous training and education just like any other medical profession. This means Med School is obviously necessary, as is a good Residency Program. If you know you want to go into anesthesiology, then make sure the medical school you go to has a good program for it. In recent years, it seems like less schools are offering this specialization and/or limiting applicants to the programs.

Job Function
An anesthesiologist's job is to assist a surgeon during an operation by sedating or numbing a patient. Sometimes you have to completely "put them under", but other times you simply have to numb specific parts of their body. In this latter case, you need to understand how the different medicines work together, so you can block certain effects from spreading too much or causing other unsightly problems. The best part is helping the surgeon efficiently and making the patient as comfortable as possible. The worst is dealing with patients that are frightened of sedation. Believe me, it's common, and it can make the work difficult. Advertisement
Lifestyle
Lots of work, and I wouldn't say there is much "play" involved. Thankfully, though, it's not as time-consuming as being an actual surgeon and you get a lot more personal time. You are generally on-call, however, in case a surgery needs to be done. Being an anesthesiologist requires genuine compassion. You are there to help people and keep them relaxed/comfortable during a very frightening time in their lives (going under the knife).

Additional Information
Take it seriously! Your work is important. Oh and it pays very well. That certainly helps!!