ANESTHESIA TECHNICIAN

Anesthesia Technician Training in NJ

Hybrid / Distance Education Program

The Anesthesia Technician certificate program prepares students to work as entry-level anesthesia technicians in hospitals and outpatient surgical centers. Anesthesia technicians are primarily responsible for setting up the operating room by cleaning, sterilizing, and preparing the anesthesia equipment and instruments. They also assist anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists throughout surgical procedures. 

The Anesthesia Technician training program at AIMS Education is taught through a combination of lecture, lab, and clinical hours. Hands-on training in our on-campus surgical lab will help students develop the anesthesia technician skills needed to work in this field. Anesthesia tech students will also gain practical experience during a mandatory clinical internship.

Students in the Anesthesia Technician program will learn the basic principles of anesthesia practice, which includes patient positioning, airway management, IV therapy, blood transfusion, emergent perioperative medications, and sterilization techniques. By the end of the program, students will also have a firm understanding of how anesthesia machines function.

Other important topics covered in the Anesthesia Technician program include neurophysiological monitoring, gas analyzers, infusion pumps, ventilators, local and regional anesthesia methods, assisting with intubation and extubation, and diagnostic, interventional, and emergency procedures.

Hybrid Learning

The Anesthesia Technician program is taught using a hybrid learning environment. Online and in-person instruction is utilized throughout the program. Lectures may be offered on campus or remotely via a Learning Management System (LMS). Laboratory classes and practical training will be held on campus in a dedicated surgical lab, or at a clinical site.

Online classes will be taught synchronously. Synchronous instruction is real-time instruction that requires students to attend classes at scheduled times.

Anesthesia Technician Clinical Internship

In addition to 95 clinical hours completed during the course of the Anesthesia Technician program, students are required to complete a mandatory 320-hour clinical internship. Students will be placed at a clinical site by the clinical internship department. The internship is designed to provide practical training in a real work environment; students will have an anesthesia technician supervisor who trains and guides them. Students are not permitted to begin the internship until all required classroom and lab hours are completed.

AIMS Education has clinical affiliations with numerous hospitals and surgical centers throughout New Jersey and the surrounding areas. Students will be placed at one or more of these affiliated sites and must complete their clinical hours based on the schedule provided by the school. Internship schedules are based on the availability of clinical sites. All students (Day and Evening) must be prepared to complete their internship during normal business hours (Monday through Friday). The majority of clinical sites do not allow students to complete clinical hours in the evening or on the weekend.

Employment for Anesthesia Technicians

The majority of anesthesia technicians are employed in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. Within the hospital, they are typically a part of the Anesthesiology Department, but they may have the opportunity to work in various clinical settings. Some of the most common settings include operating rooms, emergency departments, intensive care units, and labor and delivery units.

Certification / Registry Exam Eligibility

The certified Anesthesia Technician (Cer.A.T.) credential is no longer offered by the American Society of Anesthesia Technologists and Technicians (ASATT). As a result there are no available certification exams for graduates of this program or the anesthesia technician career.

*The AIMS Education Anesthesia Technician program prepares students for a career as an anesthesia technician, not an anesthesia technologist or an anesthesiologist assistant. This program is not an accredited anesthesia technologist program, and graduates are not eligible for the Anesthesia Technologist (Cer.A.T.T.) credential offered by ASATT.

Anesthesia Technician Program Length

• 900 clock hours
• Classroom instruction and lab - 485 hours
• Clinical hours - 415 hours
• The program can be completed in approximately 12 months.

Minimum Admission Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent
• Passing score on the Wonderlic Scholastic Level Exam 
• Additional Requirements