Reia Zimmer

Reia Zimmer is an acute care nurse practitioner who cares for children and adults having surgery for congenital heart defects. She helps prepare patients and their families for complex procedures, assists during surgery and provides care in the hospital after surgery. She is a certified surgical first assistant, an advanced support position in the operating room.

Zimmer supports her physician colleagues' research by reviewing patients' charts, gathering and organizing information to be used in studies.

Zimmer earned a bachelor's degree in nursing, with a minor in community health education, at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. At Benedictine University, she earned her master's degree in nursing, with a focus on nursing education, public health and nursing management. She completed the UCSF Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – Acute Care Program.

Zimmer's nursing career spans more than 20 years. She started as a registered nurse caring for pediatric patients, then worked in a pediatric intensive care unit at a level I trauma center in Las Vegas. After training to become a surgical nurse, she worked in cardiac and vascular surgery. She returned to school to achieve certification as an acute care pediatric nurse practitioner as well as training at the National Institute of First Assisting to become a certified surgical first assistant. She joined UCSF in 2005.