Lynn Macksey, CRNA

Lynn is a nationally recognized nurse anesthetist, educator, and author whose career has been dedicated to helping patients and families navigate some of life’s most vulnerable moments with clarity, dignity, and compassion. 

For more than two decades, Lynn has provided anesthesia care across the full spectrum of medicine — including neonates, pediatrics, geriatrics, vascular, neuro, thoracic, GYN, GU, endoscopy, general surgery, orthopedics, neurosurgery, cardiac ablations, and Level I trauma. Her clinical experience gives her a rare, firsthand understanding of the realities families face at the end of life.

Lynn is the author of It’s Not If, It’s When: What You Need to Know, Decide, and Share Before the End of Life, a practical guide that helps families prepare for the decisions, conversations, and emotional challenges that accompany the dying process. Her work blends medical insight with compassionate communication, making complex topics accessible and empowering for readers and caregivers.

As an educator, Lynn has led seminars and workshops across the country on topics ranging from Advanced EKG interpretation to valve disorders and anesthetic implications. Her textbooks and educational reference materials have been widely used by clinicians, and her critical care textbook earned First Place in the 2017 American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Awards in the Critical Care/Emergency Nursing category.

Lynn has also published multiple research monographs in the AANA Journal and has served in leadership roles within state and national professional associations. She is the founder and driving force behind Education Adventures for CRNAs, a seminar series designed to elevate clinical practice through engaging, practical learning.

Today, Lynn’s mission extends beyond the operating room. Through her writing, speaking, and digital education, she is committed to helping families understand what truly happens at the end of life — medically, emotionally, and practically — so they can make informed decisions, reduce fear, and support their loved ones with confidence and compassion.

She continues to practice as a CRNA in North Carolina while expanding her work as an author, speaker, and advocate for end‑of‑life clarity.