About the Authors

Patricia Gonce Morton is a Professor and Assistant Dean for Graduate Studies at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. In addition she is the coordinator of the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Nurse Specialist Master’s Program in Trauma, Critical Care, and Emergency Nursing. Dr. Morton is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal AACN Clinical Issues: Advanced Practice in Acute and Critical Care sponsored by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

Dr. Morton’s nursing career began as a staff nurse in the coronary care unit at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. She joined the faculty of the University of Maryland School of Nursing in 1980. In addition to her faculty role, Dr. Morton currently practices as an acute care nurse practitioner at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

An expert in cardiovascular critical care, Dr. Morton has published over 50 journal articles and book chapters. She has been an invited speaker at regional, national, and international conferences. Her contributions to nursing were acknowledged early in her career by receiving in 1985 the Lucile Petry Leone award as the Outstanding Young Nurse Educator in the Nation sponsored by the National League for Nursing. In 1999, Dr. Morton was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. She was named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Woman by The Daily Record, in 2001.

Dr. Morton joined the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses in 1978. Since that time she has been a member on many committees and task forces including: member of the professional media committee; member of the AACN newsletter taskforce; member and chair of the education committee; member of the leadership development work group; and member and chair of the advanced practice work group.

Dr. Morton has also been an active member of the Chesapeake Bay Chapter of AACN. She has held positions such as: member of the executive board; editor of the chapter newsletter; member and chair of the research committee; and member of the annual conference planning committee. Dr. Morton is also a member of Sigma Theta Tau, the American Nurses’ Association, and the American Academy of Nursing.

Dr. Morton who lives in Baltimore, earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Loyola College in 1974, a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the Johns Hopkins University in 1977, a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Maryland School of Nursing in 1979, and a PhD in nursing from the University of Maryland School of Nursing in 1989. In 1998, she completed the post-master’s acute care nurse practitioner program at Georgetown University.

Dorrie K. Fontaine is the Immediate Past-President of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses for 2004-05. Fontaine is associate dean for academic programs at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) School of Nursing. Prior to joining UCSF in June 2002, Fontaine was associate dean for undergraduate studies and coordinator of the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program at the School of Nursing and Health Studies at Georgetown University.

Fontaine’s nursing career began on staff at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, followed by positions at Manhasset (N.Y.) Medical Center Hospital, Prince George’s General Hospital and Medical Center in Cheverly, Md., Anne Arundel General Hospital in Annapolis, Md., and at the University of Maryland. She joined the Georgetown University School of Nursing in 1993 as a clinical associate professor and coordinator of the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program. At the same time, she served as a clinical nurse researcher in the Critical Care Division of the Georgetown University Medical Center. During her nine-year affiliation with Georgetown University, Fontaine served as director of Academic Programs, director of Academic and Student Affairs, and associate dean for Undergraduate Studies.

A respected educator, Fontaine has been honored by Sigma Theta Tau International (Outstanding Achievement in the Research Poster Awards), Georgetown University Medical Center (Award for Research Excellence in Nursing), Villanova University College of Nursing (Medallion for Contributions to the Profession), and the Society of Critical Care Medicine (Presidential Citation).

Fontaine joined the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses in 1983. In 1999, she was elected to the AACN Board of Directors for a two-year term, and she is currently completing a two-year term on the AACN Certification Corporation Board of Directors. Over the course of her 19-year association with AACN, she has contributed to the organization through her work with the End of Life Task Force, the Nominating Committee, the Advanced Practice Work Group, the Organizational Ethics Committee, and the Research Committee, which she chaired for two years. An expert on critical care topics including family presence at the end-of-life, Fontaine has spoken widely on the subject at national and international forums and to the media.

At the local level, Fontaine was a longtime member of both the Greater Washington Area Chapter and the Chesapeake Bay Chapter, serving as president of the latter in 1992-93. In 1989, the Chesapeake Bay Chapter honored her as the Critical Care Nurse of the Year. She also holds current membership in Sigma Theta Tau, the American Nurses Association, and the Society of Critical Care Medicine. She has served as a reviewer for several publications and is presently on the editorial board of the American Journal of Critical Care.

Fontaine, who currently lives in San Francisco, earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Villanova University in 1972 and added a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Maryland in 1977 and DNSc from the Catholic University of America in 1987.

A thoroughly revamped contributor base features only members currently working in critical care. In addition, the manuscript was extensively peer reviewed prior to publication.