One could call Marybeth Fazio’s enrollment in a post-master’s certificate program her second act, but the designation wouldn’t be entirely accurate.
Fazio plans to graduate her Online Nursing Post-master’s Certificate program in May, marking another milestone in her more than 40-year nursing career centered around learning daily. She’s spent much of her career at Children's Egleston Hospital where she’s cared for children bedside, but she’s also taught nursing courses and picked up her bachelor’s and master’s degrees along the way.
Certified Nurses Day is celebrated every March 19, and today we’re telling Fazio’s story to honor her service to the nursing profession, share her future goals in primary care and highlight a certified nurse with an incredible story. The US-Italian dual citizen is a MSN and RN, and she holds certifications as a Critical Care Nurse (CCRN), Transcultural Nurse (CTN), Academic Clinical Nurse Educator (CNE™cl) and Infant Massage Instructor (CIMI).
Before the degrees and credentials, Fazio found her calling as a 4-year-old. She knew her operations on the family cat with Fisher-Price toys would lead to a career in healthcare down the road.
“He was so old – 15 years old – he let me dress him in my Baby Tenderlove clothing… he was my first patient,” Fazio said. “I would ask for a doctor kit on every single birthday.”
Fazio went from toys to trades, completing her degree programs and compiling decades of experience. A few years ago, however, she noted a need to return to the classroom, ultimately deciding on Georgia State for its flexibility and status for a quality education.
“I went back to school because I recognize that there will come a day where I need to step aside for the younger people coming into the ICU,” Fazio said. “I came back to Georgia State because I am a firm believer in state colleges. They have been here for decades, and their programs are tried and true.”
The Online Nursing Post-master’s Certificate program allows individuals who have already earned a MSN or DNP to expand their opportunities and add a second or third specialty as a Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner Primary Care, Family Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner or Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.
As Fazio completed the certificate core coursework and required specialty courses, she said the flexibility Georgia State offers allowed her to work when she wasn’t helping patients – even at 2 a.m. She noted the responsiveness of professors, even some who would respond at midnight, and the knowledge she gained from her professors and instructors.
“There is so much value in having conversations, and these professors can elucidate key points that might be right in front of us,” Fazio said. “But when you hear it differently, all of the puzzle pieces fit together.”
Fazio, an eternal learner, is still enjoying her last few moments in this latest classroom. Her passion for learning stems from her father – a second-generation immigrant who worked four jobs to put her and five siblings through college – and her mother, who had rheumatic heart disease. She honors them with each degree she’s earned, and they’re instrumental to her journey of service.
Equally as important to that journey was Fazio’s battle with pancreatic cancer 16 years ago. The diagnosis came during her bachelor’s degree program, and it also served as an inflection point in her academic and professional careers.
“When you get sick, you can go one of two ways,” Fazio said. “You can wallow in the ditch and say, ‘Poor me,’ or you can say, ‘I have things I have to do, what’s next?’ I chose the latter.
“It slowed me down, but it didn’t stop me. I’m going to run with my hair on fire until I have to put my pencil down and go.”
As Fazio nears the end of her certificate program, she yearns for new opportunities to serve. Through her experiences, Fazio noticed the lack of access to healthcare that many individuals and families face, and she wants to change the phenomenon.
Fazio is interviewing for a rural nurse residency program to gain experience for a new journey – primary care in rural Georgia. While she’s not ready to leave children’s healthcare quite yet, she hopes to do dual-duty and serve more than the little patients she’s seen for more than four decades.
“There are seven days in a week – I can do both things and learn something new everyday,” she said. “I’m happy to get up and go to a job that I love with people that have a common goal. It’s about making those children better and delivering them home safely to their families. And now, I want to take care of their parents and grandparents.”