Author Joan M. Paté MS, BSN, RN-BC

Joan M. Paté has been a member of AAACN since 1988 and has served on a variety of committees and task forces in support of ambulatory nursing practice. Currently, she is a member of the RN Expert Panel and Leadership SIG Advisory Board. She is also a past instructor for the AAACN Ambulatory Nursing Certification Review Course and co-edited  Chapter 6 (Legal Aspects of Ambulatory Nursing) for the 3rd edition of the Core Curriculum for Ambulatory Care Nursing. Joan has many years of clinical and leadership experience in the ambulatory setting as a staff nurse, clinical educator, case manager, director of ambulatory nursing, and senior nurse executive while serving in the US Navy Nurse Corps. From 2002-2014, Joan maintained a legal nurse consulting practice in Rio Rancho, NM, in which she assisted attorneys in medical-legal cases involving nursing practice. Currently, she consults with individuals and organizations that are interested in the evolving issues in the ambulatory care setting that affect nursing practice.