Paula Midyette, MSN, RN, CCNS, CCRN-K, CNEcl, CDCES
2025 Alabama Nursing Hall of Fame Inductee
Paula Midyette is a board-certified clinical nurse specialist and adjunct faculty member at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing. She teaches critical care and pathophysiology and serves as a care coordinator and certified diabetes care and education specialist at the UAB PATH Clinic, which supports uninsured patients living with uncontrolled diabetes.
Midyette began her nursing career in the cardiovascular intensive care unit at UAB Hospital, caring for both adult and pediatric patients. After earning her Master of Science in Nursing with a focus on adult health, she transitioned into advanced practice, providing education, quality improvement and clinical leadership for complex cardiovascular populations. Her work has been guided by a commitment to developing skilled bedside nurses with strong critical thinking abilities, believing that specialized knowledge leads to better care, professional satisfaction and autonomy.
In the late 1980s, Midyette was recruited to Montclair Hospital to build a nursing team capable of caring for pediatric cardiac patients and continued in leadership roles as a clinical nurse specialist and case manager. She later returned to UAB Hospital as an advanced nurse educator and CNS for the cardiovascular ICU, and in 2012, joined Children’s of Alabama, where she trained hundreds of nurses during the expansion of the pediatric cardiovascular program.
In 2017, Midyette transitioned to academia, joining the Department of Acute, Chronic and Continuing Care at UAB. She teaches a range of courses, with a particular passion for pathophysiology and complex care. She continues her clinical practice at the PATH Clinic, coordinating care and providing diabetes education to patients facing significant health barriers.
Midyette holds certifications in critical care nursing, nurse education and diabetes care. Her contributions include presentations and publications on cardiovascular care and vulnerable populations. She has received multiple awards including the Birmingham Nursing Excellence Award, Children’s of Alabama Nursing Excellence Award in Teaching and the UAB Jo Ann Barnett Alumni Award for Compassionate Care.
Active in professional and community service, Midyette serves on the UAB School of Nursing Board of Visitors and the Auburn University College of Nursing Legacy Board. She and her husband also assist with medical support for international patients needing specialty care.
Paula extends her gratitude to God and to her family, colleagues, and mentors who have supported her journey as a clinician, educator, and advocate for advancing nursing practice and health equity.
Throughout her career, Mestas received numerous local, regional and national awards for leadership and mentorship. She served on nursing boards and presented evidence-based practices at conferences across the country and internationally. Her influence extended beyond administration, as she shaped the next generation of nurses through teaching, writing and advocacy.
Her legacy is defined by a lifelong dedication to empowering others, advancing nursing professionalism and improving health care systems. Mestas’s work reflects a belief in the power of collaboration, education and compassion to transform patient care and elevate the nursing profession; and keeping the patient at the center of all these areas.