Ms. Burke entered nursing with a diploma from Emanuel Hospital School of Nursing in Portland, Oregon, later completing baccalaureate studies at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), and a master's degree at University of Portland. She retired as the Director of Health Occupations at Clatsop Community College in Astoria, Oregon, after helping initiate and develop the nursing program, as well as expand it to a distant site using on-line instruction. She currently is a member of the steering committee for the Oregon Consortium for Nursing Education, a partnership between OHSU and Oregon community colleges to deliver a shared baccalaureate nursing curriculum throughout the rural state. She also is actively involved in the Education Committee of the Oregon Nursing Leadership Council, helping identify strategies to recruit and retain nursing faculty, develop innovative clinical models, and provide policy guidelines for nursing education programs in the state. In addition, Ms. Burke is working with nursing leaders and educators to identify and develop strategic plans to more effectively educate and use practical nurses (LPNs) in Oregon. She is co-author of another text, Medical-Surgical Nursing Care (2rd edition) with Priscilla LeMone, Elaine Mohn-Brown, and Linda Eby.