Rate My Professor Kathleen Fear

Kathleen Fear, DNP, ARNP, CRNA, serves as Assistant Professor of Instruction in the College of Nursing at The University of Iowa, contributing to Health Science through her expertise in nurse anesthesia. She earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from 2014 to 2016, Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in Nurse Anesthesia from 1997 to 2000, and Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), all from the University of Iowa. Certified by the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists, Fear has over 25 years of clinical experience as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). She worked for 20 years as a nurse anesthetist at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics (UIHC), including as Lead CRNA at the Ambulatory Surgery Center, providing anesthesia care, pain management, and critical care support during surgeries and invasive procedures. Recently, in 2026, she joined Medical Associates in Dubuque, Iowa, as a nurse anesthesiologist while maintaining her faculty affiliation. Fear has been involved with the UIowa Nurse Anesthesia program as a clinical instructor, lecturer, program faculty, and now in her instructional professor role.

Fear teaches extensively in didactic and clinical anesthesia education, mentors Doctor of Nursing Practice students, and develops mastery-based curricula to enhance patient outcomes and professional competence. Her scholarly work includes innovations in simulation-based learning and national presentations on anesthesia safety and crisis resource management. Key publications are “Fluoroscopy Education Requirements Present Practice Barrier: A Collaborative Solution,” published in The Journal for Nurse Practitioners in 2017 as part of her DNP project, and “The Use of Cervical Paravertebral Block as the Sole Anesthetic for Shoulder Surgery in a Morbid Patient: A Case Report” in 2004. She holds leadership positions as a Council Director on the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs, with the Iowa Board of Nursing, and the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists. Fear has received multiple teaching and professional excellence awards, including recognition as part of the 2024 Improving Our Workplace Award-winning Nurses Using Ultrasound for Difficult IV Access (DIVA) team at the University of Iowa. Nationally recognized, she speaks at events like the World Congress of Nurse Anaesthetists and American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology Annual Congress.