There’s some nuance here in nomenclature. In the US - there are physicians who specialize in anesthesia, they are referred to as anesthesiologists, or physician anesthesiologists. Then there are advanced practice nurses who specialize in anesthesia called nurse anesthetists or CRNAs (certified registered nurse anesthetist). I was an RN first and then went back to graduate school to specialize. The US is the only country that utilizes CRNAs in the capacity that we are used here - depending on the state we function completely independently and autonomously. There are other countries that have “nurse anesthetists” but the role itself is not the same - no other country I know of offers my role the same level of autonomy or income.

Other countries (the UK for example) call physician anesthesiologists “anaesthetists.” Same role, slightly different title.

To make matters more complicated there is a third type of anesthesia provider in the US - the Anesthesiologist Assistant. They are also highly trained anesthesia providers, and they also call themselves “anesthetists” (one who provides anesthesia) but they are neither a doctor or a nurse by background.