Our field of hospice and palliative nursing is known as a clinical discipline, a very hands-on professional commitment to providing care for seriously ill patients and families. Our nursing colleagues often speak of their "calling" to the field. Many of us were first called to become nurses, and then we found our further calling in the specialty of hospice and palliative nursing.

A vocational calling has been described as a sense of being drawn to do work that is seen as benefitting "the greater good" or as a service to society. It is often experienced as a sense of needing to use the talents and gifts you have received to do the work you are meant to do. For many people, this calling is viewed as sacred and as a spiritual call. I have heard many hospice and palliative care nurses say this is the work "I must do" or "I can't not do it." I consider myself in this category. I was called to be a nurse, drawn to oncology nursing as a specialty, but then I found my real calling in hospice and palliative nursing. I cannot imagine not doing this work.

Nurses who chose to share their gifts through writing also have that "call" to publish their work so that others can learn about their clinical projects, thesis or dissertation, clinical experiences, or quality improvement projects. Most articles are written after full days of work, late at night, or on weekends by nurses who are committed to advancing palliative care through writing.

Being called into a profession also means constantly being aware of changes and current needs. We are now living in a time of long overdue commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. The true commitment to these values is inspiring, and our field of palliative nursing has important work to do to reimagine our care in ways that will better serve communities that have often not been reached. This issue of the journal is a testament to the commitment and the calling of palliative nursing to diverse and underserved communities addressing topics including people with intellectual disabilities, neonatal and perinatal care, Islamic patients, spiritual care in elderly patients with Alzheimer disease, or those with hip fractures. The authors of these articles listened to that voice within encouraging them to share their work to address this urgent need in our care.

Every article in this issue reflects the basic tenets of palliative nursing including the commitment to compassionate physical, psychosocial, and spiritual care. As I have read each of the articles in this issue of the journal, I have been reminded that these authors have responded to their vocational calling. They are doing incredibly important work, and through the publication of this work, they share their passion with others.

This final issue of JHPN for 2022 marks the end of another challenging year of the pandemic. We pause to remember the lives lost, the grief of individuals and communities, the exhaustion of our colleagues, and the many ways that our field of palliative nursing has been of service to a world in need of our care. I am grateful to every nurse who this year listened to their professional call of service and shared their wisdom through our journal.

Betty R. Ferrell, PhD, RN, MA, CHPN