It is a wonderful time to be in the field of plastic surgery nursing. As the editorial board met at the 34th Convention in Baltimore, I was encouraged by the positive progress the journal has made under the able direction of Kathleen Walsh Spencer, the guidance of the editorial board, and the contributions of department authors, manuscript reviewers, and article authors. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins have continued to bring their expertise to Plastic Surgical Nursing. I am humbled by the contributions of those who have preceded me and excited by the challenge to continue on their footsteps.
In some ways, it reminds me of the house my husband and I bought several years ago. We fell in love with this unusual structure built from native granite rock. Once we bought it, I became curious about its history and started digging. I even located the family of the original builders. The Haydens were retired schoolteachers from Missouri, looking for a new life in California. They moved their six adult children with them and settled in the small rural community of Vista. They bought a hotel and a small ranch to grow citrus and tomatoes. The ranch was to be the site of their dream home. In architectural resources, I discovered that the house was built in the mid-1930s, but the foundation style was that which would have been found in the late 1800s. Most of the foundation is of a "rubble" style, where the rocks start directly on the ground as opposed to a concrete footing. The family built the house themselves with the assistance of a stonemason from the East Coast. A daughter's boyfriend drafted the blueprints and it includes an eclectic blend of prairie, craftsman, and Monterrey styles. A master stonemason commented to me that it is an amazing example of creative work. He indicated that great challenges had to be overcome to deliver on this design. I learned from the family that they used a tractor with a sled to move the thousands of rocks to the top of the hill where the house was to take shape. It turns out that rocks become stones once they are put together in a building. Granite is a very interesting material as each piece may vary in appearance, depending on their chemistry and mineralogy, yet they come together to form very solid and elegant structures.
In search of continuing education, the founders of ASPSN started building the "dream home" of a specialty nursing organization. As in the "rubble" foundation, national meetings with scientific sessions were joined by the birth of our journal, membership in the National Federation of Specialty Nursing Organizations, and completion of the first Plastic Surgery Nursing Bibliography. Publishing a core curriculum, establishment of the Plastic Surgical Nursing Certification Board, and development of Scope and Standards of Practice built on this foundation. The granite rocks of ASPSN have become a beautiful eclectic blend of our specialty "stones." It is clear that many hours of hard work from our creative members have gotten us where we are. We have a great foundation and can continue to build on its solid structure.
In this issue, you can learn about how our Standards were developed and their importance to our practice. There is a sneak preview of Chapter 10 of the recently revised core curriculum for Plastic Surgical Nursing on the psychosocial care of the plastic surgical patient. Once you see the valuable information laid out in such a usable format, you are sure to want to add it to your collection of references. It will also make studying for the CPSN examination much easier. Several department editors will continue to build on their success: Rachelle Springer, MS, ARNP, CS, CPSN, LHCRM; Judy Akin Palmer, PhN, MSN, RN, CPSN; Stefanie Dinman, MSN, RN, FNP, CPSN; Dawn Sagrillo, BSN, RN, CPSN; and Sue Kuntz, BS, RN, CPSN. They will be joined by Marcia Spear, MSN, RN, CPSN, CWS, APRN-BC, for the Wound Department and Kathleen Catalano, RN, JD, for the Legal Department.
So, here you are soaking up wonderful tidbits to apply to your work. Inspiring isn't it. What about all those amazing experiences that you could share with your colleagues? The many members of ASPSN are as diverse in their backgrounds as well as their expertise. You all have something special to share. Please consider becoming a beautiful part of our specialty by sharing your "granite" and writing an article for the journal.
As we move forward with the journal, the essential input of ASPSN members is needed to keep the journal growing in quality and content that is valuable to your practice. Please feel free to forward your comments to me and the editorial board by writing us at Plastic Surgical Nursing, American Society of Plastic Surgery Nurses, 7794 Grow Drive, Pensacola, FL 32514-7072 or send an e-mail to Candise Flippin at [email protected].