Accruing 27 years of professional experience to her credit, Beverly McDonald-Miller, RN, GNP-C, APRN, became involved in her profession because she always knew that she wanted to be a nurse since she was a child. She began her career as a staff nurse at Veterans Affairs Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1981, remaining in this position for four years before moving up the ranks to numerous other roles including clinical specialist from 1986 to 1988, clinical specialist in staff development from 1988 to 1989, patient health education coordinator from 1988 to 1995 and geriatric nurse practitioner from 1995 to 2008. In addition to this tenure, Ms. McDonald-Miller has presented her research at the International Nursing Conference.
Prior to the start of her professional life, Ms. McDonald-Miller earned a diploma from Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis in 1963. Years later, she pursued a formal education at the University of Tennessee, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1980 and Master of Science in Nursing in 1981. She went on to complete graduate coursework at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1996. Additionally, Ms. McDonald-Miller is a certified geriatric nurse practitioner, clinical specialist and health education specialist.
Active in her local community, Ms. McDonald-Miller has volunteered with the Orpheum Theater in Memphis for over 25 years and worked with veterans. She has also contributed myriad research articles to professional peer-reviewed journals. Outside of her primary trade, Ms. McDonald-Miller served on the board of directors for the Tennessee Nurses Association and was the president of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society.
In honor of her accomplishments, Ms. McDonald-Miller was named one of the Excellent 11 Top Nurses in Shelby and Fayette Counties, Tennessee, and received the Administrator’s Award for Excellence in Nursing. Likewise, she was given the West Tennessee Employee Award as an Outstanding Scientific Professional Employee, and was selected for inclusion in the third edition of Who’s Who Among Human Services Professionals and multiple editions of Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in American Nursing.
The mentor who inspired and motivated Ms. McDonald-Miller was Dr. Donna Hathaway, who she worked with at the University of Tennessee. Other mentors include Dr. Mary Lou Shannon, Mary Morris and Carol Cannon. The highlight of Ms. McDonald-Miller’s career were her patients and the veterans. She was also proud of her research on pressure sores, which she mainly published. What has separated her from others in her field has been keeping up with her education and going to all the educational meetings. Through these endeavors, she has also kept her family very close to her. She is married to her loving husband of 57 years, William L. Miller, with whom she has raised three wonderful children, Travis Andrew, Susan M. Wright and Sean Mark. Moreover, she is a doting grandmother to five beloved grandchildren, Anne Marie, Rebecca, Amy, Stephen and Sabina.
