Every 3-4 years, the publisher of Rehabilitation Nursing Journal (RNJ), Wolters Kluwer, conducts a readership survey with the intent of finding out what readers want. Although the results of the 2022 survey are not available yet, I will be surprised if the results don't indicate a continuing issue for readers-too many research articles and not enough clinical. Beginning with this issue, the journal is initiating a new feature tentatively titled "This n' That." The editorial board and I are "feeling our way" with this new feature, and nothing is in stone at the moment. In fact, even the title of this feature may change. Whatever its final title, though, the feature offers an opportunity for you to share your stories with a broad audience to extend your reach beyond your own facility.
Sometimes the feature may offer short stories/vignettes from several contributors. Other times, the entire feature may be one "story," as is the story for this issue. The editorial board and I have considered having an overall theme for each issue's This n' That feature-case studies about patient safety, bowel and bladder concerns, psychosocial issues in rehab settings, skin integrity, staffing, administrative issues, mobility, and so on. Perhaps if we receive several stories from varied authors about a given topic, we will publish all of them in one issue; however, nothing has been decided at this point in time.
With the complexity of the rehab patient population increasing, there are myriad topics that might be included in this feature that are not strictly rehab but are more inclusive of practice in general; for instance, this issue's This n' That features a story on medication management. Readers have already submitted stories-encouraged by word of mouth-that are under review. We all have personal, professional stories that capture concerns about our practice, and they need to be told-here is your opportunity!
Here are some basic guidelines for our first issue or two; however, as I've mentioned, there may be changes in the future. For brief stories, there is a 300- to 350-word minimum. Longer stories may be 1,000-1,200 words.
1. These stories will not go through the peer review process as articles in the journal do. As the editor, I will vet and edit them with the assistance of the Editorial Board. If I have questions about your submission, I will e-mail you and ask for clarification.
2. It is expected that these stories will be written in a scholarly manner and have correct grammar, no misspellings, and appropriate sentence structure.
3. Stories should be written in the third person.
4. You may or may not have references in your story. References are not required; however, you may need some if you are trying to give credibility to support the use of an intervention.
One thing to keep in mind is that not all stories will be accepted for publication. We may receive far more submissions than we can use for any given issue. Just as significant, even though the format for your stories is pretty informal, we will not bypass important editorial considerations. Acceptable submissions will address a topic of broad interest to readers and will be well developed. This is not an opportunity to submit an idea that requires extensive editing by RNJ Editorial Board members or staff.
The editorial board and I are excited to present this new opportunity for Association of Rehabilitation Nurses members and others who practice in a rehab setting or care for those with chronic illness. Please send your stories to me at .
Conflict of Interest
The author declares no conflict of interest.
Funding
There is no funding associated with this article.
Pamala D. Larsen, PhD, MS, RN
Editor-in-Chief
Rehabilitation Nursing
Windsor, CO