Biography
Dr. Kathy McKinnon is a native Floridian who resides in West Palm Beach, Florida, and brings over 33 years of diverse nursing experience to her work. She earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice in Executive Leadership from Palm Beach Atlantic University in December (2020). She also holds a Master of Science in Advanced Holistic Nursing from Florida Atlantic University (2016) and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Georgia Southern University (1993).
Throughout her distinguished career, Dr. McKinnon has served in a variety of clinical roles, including pediatric and adult trauma emergency nursing, as well as outpatient surgical nursing. After many years in clinical practice, she pursued additional training in spiritual care, becoming a hospice chaplain and later serving as a hospital chaplain at Good Samaritan Medical Center.
Dr. McKinnon currently serves as an Associate Professor of Nursing at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Her areas of expertise include community health and stress management. She is also actively involved as a consultant, mentor, and preceptor for the university’s chaplaincy program, where she helps cultivate community partnerships to enhance student learning and outreach.
Her community engagement includes collaboration with the Tree of Life Resource Center, where she contributed to the development of services supporting individuals experiencing homelessness by providing access to food, clothing, and healthcare education. Her doctoral scholarly project focused on program evaluation at Burckle Place, a supportive transitional housing program for post-incarcerated and homeless women.
Dr. McKinnon is deeply passionate about addressing the spiritual needs of patients, college students, and healthcare professionals. In addition to her academic role, she is an active speaker at local and national conferences and has published on topics related to stress, overall health, spiritual care, and self-care in nursing. She also regularly participates in chapel services and leads community outreach initiatives. Her personal mission is to inspire hope and encouragement through her testimony of faith, particularly highlighting how God sustained her through her battle with cancer.
Dr. McKinnon serves as a board member for Cancer Alliance of Help & Hope, supporting fundraising efforts for children and families affected by cancer. She is also a faculty advisor and mentor for Nurses Christian Fellowship and has been appointed to both the Spiritual Life Council and the Faculty Senate at Palm Beach Atlantic University.
Degrees
DNP in Nursing Practice, Palm Beach Atlantic University | MSN in Nursing, Florida Atlantic University | BSN in Nursing, Georgia Southern University