Anesthesiology Assistants (AAs) – sometimes referred to as Certified Anesthesiology Assistants (CAAS) – are highly trained, master's-degree-level non-physician anesthesia care providers. Anesthesiology Assistants deliver a variety of care techniques under the supervision of an Anesthesiologist. Responsibilities include:
- Establishing patient monitoring devices and intravenous access
- Participating in all aspects of patient’s anesthetic including, but not limited to, induction, maintenance, and emergence
- Interpret and record the patient’s physiological and pharmacological status
- Provide continuity of care into and during post-operative period
Please note that UC Davis does not offer an anesthesiology assistant program. This webpage offers general information to pre-applicants and those exploring the profession. Health Professions Advising is available to advise UC Davis students and alumni. However, the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis does offer a Doctor of Nurse Practice (DNP) - Nurse Anesthesia degree program. To learn more about their program, contact their admissions directly.
Additionally, Anesthesiology Assistants currently are not able to practice in the state of California. Anesthesiology Assistants are licensed to practice in 22 states in the United States. For a list of the states they practice in, visit the Resources page of the American Academy of Anesthesiology Assistants (AAAA)’s website.
To learn more about the anesthesiology assistant profession, check out the American Academy of Anesthesiology Assistants (AAAA)’s website.
Anesthesiology Assistant Preparation
- Timeline
1. Obtain a Bachelor’s degree and complete all pre-anesthesiology assistant requirements, including prerequisites, the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) and/or Graduate Record Examination (GRE), and experiences (4+ years)
2. Attend an accredited anesthesiology assistant program (2-3 years) and earn a master’s degree in Anesthesia/Anesthesiologist Assistant
3. Pass the Certifying Examination for Anesthesiology Assistants administered by the National Commission for the Certification of Anesthesiology Assistants (NCCAA) to become a licensed anesthesiology assistant
4. Maintain certification through ongoing education and examinations through the National Commission for the Certification of Anesthesiology Assistants (NCCAA)Upon matriculation into an Anesthesiology program, there are additional steps students must complete in order to obtain licensure or professional certification. These steps may include board examinations, supervised clinical hours, background checks, or other program-specific milestones. Once you are in your graduate program, your graduate program advisor will provide guidance on the post-graduation next steps.
- Pre-Requisites
Prerequisite courses are the academic foundation that most programs require students to complete to prepare for MCAT and before beginning an anesthesiology assistant program. No matter which major you choose, you will need to fulfill the specific science and non-science prerequisites set by each program. We strongly recommend you complete the prerequisite coursework prior to studying for and taking the exam. Always review and cross-check the requirements of your major with the prerequisite coursework for your chosen Anesthesiology health profession school(s) to ensure you are completing both UCD requirements as well as the requirements of the professional program(s).
While HPA has developed a suggested prerequisite chart from a sample of programs, prerequisite coursework and entrance requirements will vary by program, hence it is important to check individual programs' websites to familiarize yourself with their exact prerequisites.
Program Prerequisites Courses to Take at UC Davis Required for the MCAT? Most schools require: General Chemistry with Lab
CHE 2ABC OR CHE 4ABC
Yes
General Biology with Lab
BIO 1 & 2 & 3 AND BIO 1L & 2L
Yes
Organic Chemistry with Lab
CHE 118ABC OR CHE 8AB
Yes
General Physics with Lab
PHY 7ABC AND PHY9ABC
Yes
Biochemistry
BIS 102 AND BIS 103
Yes
Human Physiology with Lab
(NPB 101 & NPB 101L) OR (NPB 110C & NPB 101L)
Strongly Recommended
Human Anatomy with Lab
(EXB 106 & EXB 106L) OR (CHA 101 & CHA 101L)
No
2 Quarters of Calculus
MAT 17AB OR MAT 21AB
No
Statistics
STA 13 OR STA 100
No
English
Combination of writing-intensive ENL and UWP courses
No
Some schools may require:
Medical Terminology
Course not offered at UC Davis
No
Humanities Courses
Any combination of SOC, ANT, and HUM courses
SOC 1 - recommended
Additional recommended courses:
Cell Biology
BIS 104 OR NPB 110A
No
Microbiology with Lab
MIC 102 AND MIC 103L
Recommended
Psychology
PSC 1
Recommended
HPA recommendations:
1. Complete all prerequisite courses for a letter grade, not P/NP.
2. Earn a “C” or higher in all prerequisite coursework. Some programs may require no lower than a B in any of your prerequisite courses.
3. Maintain a minimum undergraduate and science GPA of 3.0 or higher. A competitive GPA will likely be higher for most programs.Please note that anesthesiology assistant schools do accept community college work in varying degrees, some accept all transferable work, some a certain amount of units, and others accept a very limited amount. If you have any questions about your major, prerequisite courses, or grade/GPA concerns, you are encouraged to make an appointment with one of HPA Staff Advisors.
- Exam
Pre-anesthesiology assistant students are required to take the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) OR Graduate Record Examination as part of admissions requirements.
Before taking the MCAT, HPA strongly recommends that students complete the prerequisite courses for the exam prior to taking the exam - the courses provide foundational knowledge to support studying for the test.
The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) is not a course-dependent test, meaning there are no specific UCD courses you need to take to prepare. The best way is to give yourself time to study the test by buying test prep books or taking a test prep course.
To learn more about the standardized exam and preparing for it, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Standardized Exams and HPA’s Test Prep Events & Resources.
Applying to Anesthesiologist Assistant Programs
- Choosing Schools
There are over 20 anesthesiology assistant programs in the U.S. Check out the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)’s list of accredited U.S. anesthesiology assistant programs.
There are a variety of factors that go into choosing which anesthesiology assistant programs to apply to, including degree awarded, location, environment (i.e. urban), tuition, class size, focus or mission statement, etc. Spend some time researching schools online and create a spreadsheet that tracks the factors most important to you. On average, pre-health profession students apply to 2-3 anesthesiology assistant programs. HPA also recommends meeting with an advisor to discuss your school list.
Application System
Applicants typically apply the year before they matriculate into the anesthesiology assistant school and Centralized Application Service for Anesthesiology Assistants (CASAA) is a centralized application system that is used by all anesthesiology assistant schools. To learn more about CASAA, visit the webpage CASAA Quick Start Guide and FAQs webpage. Students are encouraged to refer to the CASAA Applicant Help Center for additional guidance on how to complete their applications. HPA recommends for applicants to carefully review the application process of each individual school that they are applying to.
The CASAA opens in May and closes February of the following year. While CASAA closes in February, participating schools of CASAA may have earlier deadline dates, which are the deadlines applicants should be submitting by. These deadlines may also vary by schools or some may admit students on a rolling basis; please check your individual schools for specific dates. If that is the case for your school of choice, be sure to submit your application early, but only when you are ready. Come see an advisor at Health Professions Advising to review your application.
Schools and application systems may have specific guidelines about what is considered a completed application, and these components may vary based on the application system and/or individual school. Some examples include but are not limited to submitting the application fee and receiving letters of recommendations and official transcripts. Students are responsible for ensuring their applications are complete, submitted, and verified by the application deadline.
To learn more about applications and application timeline, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Applications and Application Timelines.
Personal Statement
The prompt and/or character or word count may vary per year. HPA recommends applicants begin drafting their personal statement in advance of the application opening. It is very common for applicants to write multiple drafts before they finalize their personal statement. To learn more about approaching personal statements, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Personal Statements.
Experiences and Activities
Experiences and activities help students learn more about their motivations, interests, and goals, and to explore the field of anesthesiology assistant. What you do with your time helps define who you are in your application. Whatever you choose to do, be sure you are dedicated, passionate about it, and understand your motivation for pursuing it. It is important that you balance your co-curricular activities with your academics to ensure you are maintaining strong academic performance while still engaging meaningfully outside the classroom.
A minimum of volunteer or observation hours under the supervision of anesthesia providers such as an anesthesiologist, anesthesiology assistant, or certified registered nurse anesthetist is required by most programs. Most programs have a minimum 8 hour requirement while others may have a higher minimum amount. Some programs may have specific stipulations regarding the setting of where those hours are conducted. Please check each program you plan to apply to for their specific hour requirements. At the time of the application, you will be required to submit formal documentation of your shadowing experience(s).
To learn more about experiences and various on- and off-campus opportunities, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Experiences. UC Davis students are also encouraged to subscribe to HPA Today (HPA’s newsletter).
Letters of Recommendation
Letter of recommendation requirements vary by health professional schools. For many health fields, HPA recommends two lecture-based science instructor recommendations (this excludes research PI), one lecture-based non-science instructor, and additional letters from your co-curricular experiences. This can include a research PI, mentor, volunteer coordinator, professional you shadowed, etc. Your specific school list will determine what letters you may actually need.
Most anesthesiology assistant programs follow the guidelines above but a few may specify that one of the recommendations come from an anesthesia provider.
To learn more about the etiquettes for letters of recommendation, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Letters of Recommendations.
Supplemental Applications
Supplemental applications (or secondaries) may be required for some anesthesiology assistant programs and some may not require it. Students should carefully review the application process of the programs they are applying to. Supplemental/secondary applications may include additional fees and/or essays. To learn more about supplemental applications, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Applications.
Interviews
Interviews may be required for some anesthesiology assistant programs and some may not require it. Students should carefully review the application process of the schools they are applying to. To learn more about preparing for interviews, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Interviews and HPA’s Interview Week.
More questions? Check out the frequently asked questions or schedule an appointment with an advisor.