RIDGEWAY — Ridgeway resident Macia Iszard, a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) and certified Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), was inducted as a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (FAANA) during the AANA Annual Congress in Nashville.
AANA Fellows are recognized in their field for being outstanding practitioners, educators, researchers, and advocates. Acceptance criteria include professional achievements that demonstrate impactful contributions to promoting and advancing nurse anesthesiology in the following areas: clinical practice, education, research, professional advocacy, and meeting the high standards of the AANA.
“Being named as a Fellow of the AANA is a huge honor,” said Iszard. “When I view the list of current Fellows, they are the pioneers of the nurse anesthesiology profession. The list contains educators, previous leaders of our national organization, and other change agents in the profession. To be added to that list and recognized for my contributions is huge to me.”
Iszard, who recently completed her second term as president of the 1,600-member South Carolina Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (S.C.A.N.A.), holds her Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (2017), Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia (2009), and Bachelor of Science in Nursing (2006), all from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). This summer she attained her Post Graduate Certificate as an FNP from the University of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Iszard currently works as an assistant professor in the Nurse Anesthesia Program at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Columbia and as a PRN-CRNA at multiple facilities throughout the state.
Of her many career achievements, Iszard said the one that makes her most proud is seeing her students advocating for their profession. “When I was an SRNA, I was inspired by my program director to become a leader of my profession,” she recalled. “My hope is that I spark the same desire for advocacy in the SRNAs I teach that was sparked in me as a student.”
Iszard and her husband, Nick, who hail from Columbia, S.C., have two children, Nicholas, 14, and Nora, 11.