​​An anaesthetist is a specialist medical practitioner who provides general anaesthesia, sedation, regional anaesthesia and pre-operative care and acute pain management for patients for surgical and other procedures including pain relief for women in labour.

Last updated: 23 October 2017
Download

​The Workforce

In the 2010 calendar year there were 1,079 anaesthetists who primarily worked within NSW. This workforce had the following characteristics:
Average age: 49.2 years
Females: 25.8% of the workforce
Average hours: anaesthetists worked an average 36 hours per week (of a standard 40 hour week)
Over 50s: approximately 45% were aged 50 years and over and 20% of the workforce were older than 60 years

Source: AIHW (2012) 2010 Medical Workforce Profi le extracts for NSW (unpublished data)

Trainees and new fellows

​Basic trainees (BT): 197 in 2012 with an average of 175 BTs in NSW between 2009 and 2012
Advanced trainees (AT)*: 177 in 2012 with an average of 173 ATs in NSW between 2009 and 2012
Females: female AT numbers in Australia have increased from 51 in 2006 to 88 in 2012 (50% of total)
New fellows: an average of 53 per year in NSW from 2008-2011 (26% female)
Medical Specialty College: Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists – ANZCA (www.anzca.edu.au)
HETI Supported Training: Not part of Health Education and Training Institute Training Networks (www.heti.nsw.gov.au)

Source: Medical Training Review Panel (MTRP) *Basic Training must be completed before entering advanced training

Retirement intentions in NSW

1-2 Years: 3.9% of Anaesthetists intend to retire within 1-2 years
3-5 Years: 10.3% of Anaesthetists intend to retire within the next 3-5 years
6-9 Years: 4.8% of Anaesthetists intend to retire within the next 6-9 years
Average advanced trainees in NSW: 173
Average new fellows in NSW: 53
Intend to retire within next 10 years: 19%

Source: AIHW (2012) 2010 Medical Workforce Profi le extracts

Supply and distribution

Distribution: anaesthetists are located in nearly all Local Health Districts (LHDs) in NSW
Rural & regional: workforce outside of metropolitan Sydney LHDs is older (19% over 60) than the workforce in Sydney (17% over 60). Fly-in Fly-out anaesthetists provide services in some rural and regional LHDs.
 

The Future in NSW – workforce planning to 2025

Estimated demand growth: between 2.1% to 3.1% to 2025
Estimated workforce size: in 2025, between 1,615 and 1,673 full time equivalents
Additional Fellows: higher % demand scenarios require additional fellows
Range: up to 10 additional new trainees per annum
 

Workforce planning priority and risk rating

 

Risk​ ​Description ​Risk rating
​Ageing ​The risk associated with the workforce aged over 60 ​Moderate
​Ageing ​The risk associated with the workforce aged over 70 ​Minimal
​Small workforce The risk associated with the sustainability of small workforces​ ​Minimal
Retirement intentions​ ​The risk associated with the retirement intentions of the current workforce less than two years ​Moderate
Retirement intentions​​ ​The risk associated with the retirement intentions of the current workforce less than five years ​Moderate
​​New Fellow Requirements The risk associated with the requirement to recruit additional trainees,
based on workforce planning to 2025		 ​Minimal
​Training Supervision ​ The risk associated with the availability of the existing workforce to provide supervision to new trainees ​Minimal
​ ​ ​

  Future workforce considerations

  • Role of the anaesthetist outside of the operating theatre, such as complex imaging or therapeutic
    procedures, perioperative/periprocedural care and management.
  • Addressing rural and regional workforce distribution.
​