Perioperative Clinical Nurse Specialist
Naval Medical Center Portsmouth
LCDR Erin Macdonald, AGCNS-BC, CNOR is a Navy Nurse Corps officer with over a decade of dedicated service in perioperative nursing and military healthcare leadership. A native of Colorado Springs, Colorado, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and commissioned through the Naval ROTC Unit at the University of Colorado Boulder.
LCDR Macdonald began her Navy career at NMRTC Camp Pendleton, gaining foundational experience in Labor & Delivery, the Multi-Service Ward, and Same Day Surgery. After completing the Perioperative Nurse Training Program (PERIOP101) at NMRTC San Diego, she served overseas at U.S. NMRTC Okinawa from 2018–2021. There, she advanced as a perioperative nurse, circulating for thirteen surgical specialties and earning her CNOR certification ahead of schedule. Her multidisciplinary expertise extended to PACU coverage and the development of a comprehensive Mother-Infant Care Center training program that strengthened perioperative and obstetric collaboration.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she was selected to serve as Division Officer and Clinic Manager for the General Surgery and Neurosurgery Clinics, where she expanded her leadership in high-level disinfection, instrumentation management, and ambulatory surgical care while supporting continuous surgical operations.
LCDR Macdonald later completed her Master of Science in Nursing at the Uniformed Services University, becoming a board-certified Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist. She currently serves as the Trauma Program Manager at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, where she remains actively engaged in perioperative practice, clinical readiness, and system-level quality improvement.
Her personal decorations include the Navy Commendation Medal, two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, and the Distinguished Clinical Performance Award. LCDR Macdonald’s philosophy centers on human-centered care and strengthening multidisciplinary teams to elevate patient outcomes across the perioperative continuum.