Newswise — PARK RIDGE, Ill. – Michael Rieker, a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) from Winston-Salem, N.C., has been named the 2016 Program Director of the Year by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA). Rieker receives the award during the AANA’s Nurse Anesthesia Annual Congress held September 9-13, 2016, in Washington, D.C.
The Program Director of the Year Award, established in 1991, is presented to a CRNA who has made a significant contribution as a program director to the educational process of student nurse anesthetists. The award recognizes the commitment of individuals to the profession of nurse anesthesia and to the advancement of educational standards that further the art and science of anesthesia and result in high-quality patient care. Rieker is the program administrator for Wake Forest School of Medicine, Nurse Anesthesia Program in Winston-Salem, N.C.
“I am thrilled to receive this award,” said Rieker. “Wake Forest produces leaders in healthcare, and to do so, the faculty must also be leaders first. To be acknowledged for leadership and my contributions to nurse anesthesia education is an immense honor, particularly because I do not think of what I do as a job. It is what I truly love doing; and in that vein, this recognition by my students and peers is all the more meaningful.”
In his 11 years as program director at Wake Forest, Rieker has led program advancement in four main areas: technology, didactics, organization, and value-added experiences. The entire curriculum was converted to an electronic format and delivered to students by way of a learning management system. This system includes not only PowerPoint presentations, but also external links, course videos, class Wiki activities, discussion boards and other resources. Daily clinical evaluations and graduate surveys are now in a web-based system and all student examinations are in an electronic format.
“If I could create an ideal nurse anesthesia program director, Dr. Rieker would be the model,” said one of Rieker’s student registered nurse anesthetists, Ashley Keenan, BSN, RN. “He is a servant to his students, staff, patients, and his community. His honesty, humility, and brilliant mind inspire others and he is beyond deserving of being recognized for his immense contributions toward the profession of nurse anesthesia.”
The AANA extends its congratulations to Michael Rieker, DNP, CRNA, FAAN, on being selected the 2016 Program Director of the Year. About the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Founded in 1931 and located in Park Ridge, Ill., and Washington, D.C., the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) is the professional organization representing more than 50,000 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and student registered nurse anesthetists across the United States. As advanced practice registered nurses and anesthesia specialists, CRNAs administer approximately 43 million anesthetics to patients in the United States each year and are the primary providers of anesthesia care in rural America. In some states, CRNAs are the sole anesthesia professionals in nearly 100 percent of rural hospitals. For more information, visit www.aana.com and www.future-of-anesthesia-care-today.com.
RSS