Donna Avery, FNP
Donna Avery, NP, is a highly experienced Family Nurse Practitioner at Oak Street Health in East St. Louis, Illinois, where she provides comprehensive primary care to both geriatric and young adult populations. With over a decade of experience as a nurse practitioner and a diverse clinical background spanning multiple specialties, Donna is known for her patient-centered approach and dedication to improving health outcomes through preventive care, education, and strong provider-patient relationships.
Donna’s medical career began in 1997 as a respiratory therapist on the neuro-ICU team at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, where eight years of hands-on experience inspired her to pursue nursing. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Maryville University and her Master of Science in Nursing from Walden University. Over the course of her career, she has accumulated extensive experience, including 16 years in obstetrics and labor and delivery, 13 years in critical care, and six years working as both a hospitalist and emergency room provider. Her hospital affiliations have included SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - St. Louis, Touchette Regional Hospital, and Hillsboro Area Hospital, where she provided acute and inpatient care across a wide range of patient needs.
Currently, Donna is pursuing her Doctorate of Nursing Practice at Capella University, with an emphasis on critical care and women’s health, further advancing her already broad clinical expertise. Passionate about serving underserved communities, her long-term goal is to establish a telehealth practice alongside a brick-and-mortar clinic in an impoverished area, where she can provide accessible, high-quality care to patients across the lifespan—from expectant mothers to geriatric individuals. Through her extensive experience, continued education, and unwavering commitment to care, Donna Avery remains dedicated to making a meaningful and lasting impact in the communities she serves.
• BSN, Maryville University, Chesterfield, Missouri
• MSN, Walden University
• DNP (in progress), Capella University | Biology degree
• FNP-BC
• ANA
Areas of Specialization/Expertise
- Primary Care
- Critical Care
- Women's Health
- OB/Labor and Delivery
- Emergency Medicine
- Hospitalist Medicine
What do you enjoy most about practicing medicine?
The kind of person that I am, I truly do care about my patients. I'm one that you will find, you can come in the room and you might see me praying over my patients. So, I really do care for them. And, just overall, the interest in medicine, period. I'm just fascinated with the body. I was just amazed and in awe with everything that I was seeing during my time as a respiratory therapist on the neuro-ICU team, and that motivated me to want to know it all. My ultimate goal is to start my own telehealth practice with hopes of having my own brick and mortar in an impoverished area where I can see everyone from the pregnant mom to the geriatrics. That is my dream.