Orthopaedic Nursing is the official journal of the National Association of Orthopaedic Nurses (NAON). An international journal providing continuing education for orthopaedic nurses, it focuses on a wide variety of clinical settings-hospital unit, physician's office, ambulatory care centers, emergency room, operating room, rehabilitation facility, community service programs, the client's home, and others. It provides departmental sections on research and clinical updates, pharmacology, radiology, pathophysiology, the essentials of orthopaedic nursing practice, patient education, and ethics. Articles reflect a commitment to professional development and the nursing profession as well as clinical, administrative, academic, and research areas of the orthopaedic specialty.
To achieve excellence in what is published in Orthopaedic Nursing, we continually need to evaluate the needs of those who read the journal. From time-to-time, random readers are selected to participate in surveys about the journal. If you receive one of those, we ask that you take the time to thoughtfully complete the survey. We do look at every response. It is important to the future of Orthopaedic Nursing.
Another area where you can become involved is as a reviewer of manuscripts for the journal. Several times per year, a reviewer is sent a manuscript electronically to review for content accuracy and relevance to orthopaedic nursing practice. There is a specific manuscript review form that is completed by the reviewer in our electronic system. This is one way for you to begin to participate in the publication process of Orthopaedic Nursing. If you would like to be considered to be a reviewer please register as a reviewer at our web site, http://www.editorialmanager.com/onj/ where you will answer questions about your experience and practice. This will help us match you with appropriate manuscripts. At the same time, please e-mail me a copy of your resume or curriculum vitae at [email protected]. Your material will be reviewed to become a reviewer. Once you have been approved, you will soon see a manuscript review notice in your e-mail inbox. Multiple reviewers are assigned to each article so don't be afraid to join the reviewer team.
If you like to write or have publishing an article on your list of things to accomplish in your lifetime, there is no better time to consider becoming an author for Orthopaedic Nursing than right now. You are welcome to send an e-mail to [email protected] to discuss your idea prior to writing a manuscript. If you need assistance in the publishing process, the editorial board is ready to assist you. The usual feedback from a new author is excitement and amazement. Put authoring a manuscript on your "must do" list for 2010.
And finally, if you have published manuscripts before and want to consider taking on an even greater role with Orthopaedic Nursing, opportunities for becoming a columnist are available. We are currently looking for authors interested in becoming part of the Research Update, Journal Club, Orthopaedic Essentials and Radiology Review columns. If you are interested in discussing this opportunity, please e-mail the editor at [email protected].
Becoming part of the editorial team of Orthopaedic Nursing will give you an opportunity to share your knowledge with your peers. It will also give you a tremendous amount of personal pride and professional accomplishment as you improve the care of orthopaedic patients worldwide. I will look forward to hearing from you about your next role with Orthopaedic Nursing.