05/20/2026
Ever wondered if there is a difference between “anesthetist” and “anesthesiologist”? 🧐 Well there sure is! 👩🏻⚕️🩺💉
Due to the lack of standardization in veterinary medical care in the U.S., who and how anesthesia care is provided is unfortunately extremely variable…🫣 Depending on the primary anesthetist’s educational background (e.g. sometimes none depending on the State you’re in), their clinical experiences with anesthesia (e.g. healthy vs high-risk ax patients), and the level of educational support for learning best-practice anesthesia standards, these animals may not receive fantastic anesthetic care & are more likely to suffer adverse anesthetic events or even death 😿
Not only is this unfortunate for the animals & their families, but also for the anesthesia care team members 🧑🤝🧑 Veterinary nurses and assistants WANT to do their best for their anesthetized patients, but may not be able to without adequate support through educational opportunities & adequate equipment. Veterinarians WANT to do their best for their patients, but may not be able to without outside support from anesthesia specialists.
There are a multitude of ways for veterinary professionals to seek out & take advantage of learning opportunities to enhance our competence. Veterinary Anesthesiologists and VTS-A&A nurses are easily accessible for support through online and in-person resources 👩🏻💻☎️👩🏻🏫 This is why MACvet was created — to make advanced anesthesia care accessible to all animals and teams!
🥼VET PROFESSIONALS: It is OUR responsibility to both our patients & their families to provide the same level of care as we expect are provided for ourselves or our human family members.
🏡PET PARENTS: Don’t hesitate to seek transparency and ask for information regarding your pet’s anesthesia. Ask for details so you can make an educated decision on your pet’s anesthetic care.
💨💉💊🩺 😴🐶🐱🦜🐰🐢
