Didactic Instructor of the Year Award Presented to Sara Meyers

Rosemont, Ill. (AANA) – The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) presented Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) Sara Myers, DNP, CRNA, with the Didactic Instructor of the Year Award during its 2024 Annual Congress, August 2-6, in San Diego. 

The Didactic Instructor of the Year Award was established in 1991 to recognize individuals who have made a significant contribution to the teaching of Registered Resident Nurse Anesthetists (RRNAs), also known as student registered nurse anesthetists, in the classroom. The award recognizes the individual’s commitment to the profession of nurse anesthesiology and to the advancement of educational standards that further the art and science of anesthesiology and result in high-quality patient care. 

Myers’s dedication to didactic learning began during her doctoral-level (DNP) education, where she focused on a “flipped-classroom” learning environment to enhance student engagement and recall. This model integrates engaging and purposeful pre-classroom lectures followed by an in-classroom discussion, all of which culminate to propel the learner to a more advanced understanding of the topic. With the success of her DNP project, the flipped-classroom model was integrated into the University Health-Truman Medical Center (UH-TMC) program, where she reconstructed the entire Basics of Anesthesia content into a contemporary model of education. Her students notably receive enhanced anesthesia knowledge, leaving the classroom and entering clinical rotations confident that the knowledge they gained will seamlessly translate into providing expert clinical anesthesia care. According to her colleague, Myers’s course is “consistently regarded by our own students as one of the highest quality classes in the entire program.” 

Her student writes, “Dr. Myers has what any award recipient must have: a selfless desire to advance the profession of the CRNA. She gives of herself her time, her sleep, and her resources to provide the didactic education to the future of anesthesia.” With her passion for teaching and uplifting her students, Myers can also be found lecturing on pediatric and obstetric anesthesia topics, giving informational talks on RRNA wellness, acting as a lead advisor for students during their DNP coursework, and working as a clinical instructor in the operating room. 

According to her nomination, Myers wholeheartedly takes a personal interest in the success and well-being of her students and serves as a role model for them.  “As a former student of Dr. Myers, I can only say I was so lucky. As a university, UH-TMC is so lucky. As a profession, we can only say that we are so lucky to have Dr. Myers.” 

“To me, being a CRNA is not just a career; it’s a vital role in the healthcare system that combines advanced clinical skills with a profound commitment to patient safety and care,” said Myers. “It is critically important to me that future CRNAs are empowered with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to provide excellent patient care, both for our patient’s sake and for the health and longevity of the profession. It is an unimaginable honor to receive this award, and I am so grateful for the recognition.” 

Beyond her teaching responsibilities, Myers is a practicing CRNA at UH-TMC. She also serves on the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA) Self-Evaluation Examination (SEE) Item Writing Committee, the NBCRNA Board of Directors as an Emerging Leader Fellow, and the Medical Missions Foundation Board of Directors. 

Myers received her DNP from the University of Missouri at Kansas City. She earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas.