Michael Rieker, DNP, CRNA, Program Director
Dr. Michael Rieker, DNP, CRNA Director
Dr. Rieker received a B.S. in Nursing from Penn State University in 1990. His nursing career began as a Critical Care Registered Nurse in pediatric and adult trauma ICU at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas. In 1992, he attended Rush University in Chicago, where he graduated with a Master of Science degree as a nurse anesthetist. His work as a CRNA included 4 years of “locum tenens” practice, providing temporary staffing to hospitals and clinics throughout the country. This practice included work in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Texas, North Carolina, Alaska and Hawaii. In 2003, he completed a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Rush University.
In his 19 years as a CRNA, Dr. Rieker has worked in every type of practice setting and in diverse parts of the country. His engaging, effective teaching style has made him a sought-after speaker for professional educational events. He has been a featured speaker in over 75 state, national and international venues. He provides medicolegal consulting, and his publication credits include Anesthesia and Analgesia, the AANA Journal, The American Journal of Maternal-Child Nursing, Current Reviews for Nurse Anesthetists, Mosby’s Dictionary of Medicine and Nursing, and book chapters in Nurse Anesthesia Secrets, Case Studies in Nurse Anesthesia,Pharmacology for Nurse Anesthetists, and Nurse Anesthesia by Nagelhout and Plaus. He is active in state and national advocacy activities, including currently serving on the editorial board of the International Student Journal of Nurse Anesthesia, on the National Board on Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists.
As director of the Nurse Anesthesia Program, Dr. Rieker implemented the vision of “Creating Excellence in Nurse Anesthesia”, an initiative to operate the program in a more global setting, to provide students with a wider awareness of their role in the health care system. Dr. Rieker's clinical interests include obstetrical anesthesia and technical aspects of anesthesia equipment. He also teaches business of healthcare to various audiences within our medical center.