We asked and you responded-649 of you took the time to tell us what you think of JCN in our recent reader survey. Thanks for sharing your insights, opinions, and great ideas. We learned a lot about what you think of JCN and how you use it. Here are some significant points.
First, you place a lot of stock in the content of JCN. Almost half (49%) of respondents said they read "all or nearly all" of each issue. You believe the information is credible, clearly presented, and well designed. JCN's quality is apparent with all journal attributes receiving an average rating above a "4" (scale of 1 [poor] to 5 [excellent]). These statistics are significant as respondents were experienced nurses and quite familiar with the journal (49% had subscribed for 1-5 years while 33% had subscribed more than 6 years, some up to 20 years!!). Respondents were licensed practical and registered nurses with vocational to doctoral degrees, working in a broad range of clinical areas in both practice and education. In essence, JCN truly is a journal for every nurse!!
Nearly all who responded (88%) utilize the journal "as a means for personal growth and encouragement." Respondents told us JCN helps them stay updated on issues and trends, giving them the Christian view and biblical perspective. One reader wrote JCN offers "encouragement for the believer as they seek to incorporate God in their nursing care." Another commented the journal "is a means of sharing faith-based practice with other nurses" while another wrote, "Continue to promote solid, professional, ethical articles that reflect a Christian worldview."
What do you want more of in JCN? Readers say they like the length of journal articles, how articles are illustrated, and amount of CE per issue. The majority said we're doing a great job with the content and topics published in JCN. However, respondents spoke loud and clear they would like more clinical content in articles. Repeated requests were made for more articles about parish nursing, practical application of faith in practice, and more on ethics and ethical dilemmas. Another area of interest was "how to stay balanced spiritually and professionally."
Interestingly, many readers shared they prefer to read the print journal-holding, touching, and taking the journal wherever you need to go. For those of you who use the web, you like the accessibility of full-text downloads, speed, and the convenience of the online journal ("Easy access and quick reference!!" "Great for searching" "Saves paper!!"). The online JCN offers you a wealth of rich resources, including 28 years of back issues, supplemental digital content, published-ahead-of-print articles, topical article collections, search features, exporting of bibliographic citations, and more. If you haven't visited http://www.journalofchristiannursing.com recently, take a look at all the things you can do!!
In addition, we learned our readers prefer continuing education with a Christian perspective. Those that earn our CE come to JCN for the topics offered, quick accessibility, and convenience. Trust that we will continue bringing you focused Christian continuing education on current, relevant topics. (Be sure to see our special discount CE offer on page 282!!).
We will be responding to your feedback in coming issues of JCN. For those of you who requested help staying on top of issues of concern to Christian nurses, or who want an easy way to offer feedback in general or about specific articles, check out our new Blog, WDYT? (What Do You Think?) at http://www.journalofchristiannursing.com. Know that we greatly appreciate your insights, feedback, and ideas. Be assured that we will continue to help you keep abreast of interesting and important topics, share from Scripture, offer encouragement, and give you a biblical, Christian perspective on nursing.-KSS