Anesthesia Assistant

Job Description

Broaden your clinical expertise across diverse surgical settings. Our Anesthesia Care Team is seeking a skilled and knowledgeable Anesthesia Assistants with a background in Respiratory Therapy (CCAA/RRT) to provide crucial support to anesthesiologists in Labour and Delivery, the Operating Room, Endoscopy, and other procedural areas. You’ll play a vital role in patient safety by managing and maintaining airways, assisting in anesthesia induction, providing conscious sedation in various areas, maintaining essential equipment and ensuring optimal ventilation during complex procedures. This role allows you to leverage your expertise while expanding your skills in anesthesia care.

Is this you?
You are adaptable and thrive in environments where patient care needs can shift rapidly. Your caseload will vary depending on the clinical demands, and you’ll be expected to respond to these dynamic changes with flexibility and expertise. Whether you’re supporting routine procedures or stepping in to assist with more complex cases, you’re comfortable adjusting to meet the evolving needs of the team and ensuring the highest standard of care at all times.

You are a strong communicator, able to effectively collaborate with anesthesiologists, surgeons, and other health care professionals. In this role, these skills will be essential when conveying critical patient information and ensuring clear coordination during procedures. As you assist with anesthesia induction and recovery, your ability to relay important details and stay in sync with the team is crucial for patient safety and smooth procedure transitions.

You are highly organized and excel at prioritizing tasks in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment. As an Anesthesia Assistant, you will need to manage multiple responsibilities simultaneously, such as monitoring patient status, preparing equipment, and assisting with anesthesia administration. Your organizational skills allow you to stay on top of these tasks, ensuring nothing is overlooked and that every phase of anesthesia care runs smoothly, from induction to recovery.

About the Respiratory Therapy Team
Our respiratory therapy team comprises over dedicated professionals who are committed to providing the highest quality care for patients with lung conditions and breathing difficulties. We deliver a broad range of therapies, including medications, mechanical interventions, and specialty gases, tailored to each patient’s needs. We support a wide range of clinical areas across both Mount Sinai and Hennick Bridgepoint Hospitals. In addition to inpatient care, our outpatient efforts empower patients through education, offering programs in asthma/COPD management, and smoking cessation. The Pulmonary Function lab provides support to our Respirology team by providing a complete range of diagnostic tests including Cardiopulmonary exercise testing and methacholine challenge tests.

Collaboration is central to our approach, with daily virtual huddles for team-wide alignment and ASCOM phone systems enabling specialized communication between our care settings. In addition to clinical care, we actively engage in research to improve outcomes and share knowledge through education.

In this role you will:

• Provide care to patient care areas, including the main operating room, labour and delivery and satellite locations such as endoscopy and cardiology
• Operate, set-up, maintain and troubleshoot all anesthesia related equipment
• Conduct airway management, including difficult airways, hemodynamic monitoring; and set up of mechanical ventilators
• Manage and transport patients that require mechanical ventilation
• Restock anesthetic supplies
• Assist with research
• Teach and train house staff and students (inter-professional disciplines)
• Perform other duties consistent with the job classification as required

Within Labour and Delivery:

• Assess labouring, pre-op and post-op patients, assist with the induction, maintenance and recovery phases of anaesthesia, monitor stable patients under regional or general anesthesia, monitor and post-op transport of stable patients undergoing caesarean section, assess the analgesic requirements of laboring patients, troubleshoot labour epidurals and administer epidural top-ups as prescribed by the Anaesthesiologist
• You may also administer and monitor procedural sedation to mothers undergoing fetal procedures

Job Requirements

Job Requirements:

Mandatory

• Completion of an accredited Anesthesia Assistant Graduate Certificate Program & knowledge in predetermined anesthesia related educational objectives Note: Applicants currently enrolled in and scheduled to complete their Anesthesia Assistant certificate program and educational objectives within six (6) months of hire may be considered
• Member in good standing with the College of Respiratory Therapists of Ontario (CRTO)
• Current certification in Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS), Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP)

Preferred

• Member in good standing with the Canadian Society of Respiratory Therapists, Respiratory Therapy Society of Ontario and Canadian Anesthesiologist Society

Skills and Knowledge

• Good communication, clinical and teaching skills, exhibits good teamwork and individual motivation, has excellent organizational and prioritization skills
• Demonstrated satisfactory work performance and attendance history