Dear Colleagues,
As the year comes to an end, it is a good time to review some highlights for the journal. The articles published in the 2022 issues brought high-quality, interesting, and practical information that can be used in clinical practice and professional development. We hope that the wide variety of content provided something for every reader. We covered reproductive, gynecologic, and sexual health topics such as emergency contraception, endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, and vaginal estrogen use in postmenopause. Pregnancy and postpartum topics included vaginal bleeding in early pregnancy, Clostridioides difficile in pregnancy, breastfeeding complications, and the postpartum hospitalist role. Primary care topics ranged from adolescent mental health, to depressive symptoms in menopause, to hidradenitis suppurativa, to vitamin D deficiency. Articles with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion covered reproductive justice in clinical practice, recruitment and retention of diverse students and faculty in women’s health, and providing bias-informed care for pregnant persons with obesity. Policy and professional development articles provided insights into how to get involved in health policy, writing a research abstract, and continuing quality improvement initiatives after completing a Doctor of Nursing Practice program. A special online-only article described the development and use of a vaginal simulation model for the virtual teaching of pelvic health.
As always, we invite you, our readers, to submit manuscripts for publication consideration in one of the multiple formats we offer. If you are interested in writing, I encourage you to take these initial steps: First, read the author guidelines to learn more about formats, author expectations, and the submission process. Second, look at the past several issues of the journal to review articles in the format you are considering. This will help you to determine if the format is a good fit for your topic. If you are unsure your topic would be of interest to the journal, we welcome query letters regarding the topic and format you are considering. Please contact managing editor Gretchen Schwenker at gschwenker@healthcommedia.com or me at bkelsey@npwomenshealthcare.com.
We had a robust response to the recent call for editorial advisory board members. Review of qualifications and select interviews are happening this month. Information on newly appointed members will be provided in the February 2023 issue and on the journal website. The editorial advisory board is made up of volunteers who assist the editor in chief in directing the content, focus, and strategic development of the journal.
Another opportunity to volunteer your professional service for the journal is to become a peer reviewer. Peer reviewers assist the editor in chief in ensuring journal content is credible, high quality, and relevant to our readers. Click here for Peer Reviewer Application and Forms to learn more about the qualifications and role of peer reviewers and for an application. Peer reviewers receive guidelines for conducting reviews and biannual newsletters with tips on performing reviews that provide thoughtful, unbiased, constructive feedback.
Our journal’s website has a recently refreshed design with enhanced features we hope you like. The home page has links to currently available continuing education (CE) articles. This CE is free for NPWH members. Finding recent articles on specific topic areas is easier than ever. A clinical topics tab connects to adolescent health, breast health, mental health, primary care, pregnancy/postpartum, diversity/equity/inclusion, and more to find related articles in the journal. NPWH position statements are accessible on the website under the resources tab. A community tab connects to highlights on the accomplishments of WHNP students. As mentioned earlier, the author guidelines and information on becoming a peer reviewer for the journal also are readily available.
Please watch for a readership survey in early 2023. Your opinions and priorities are important to us. We want to provide articles on topics that interest you, article formats that meet your needs, a journal website that is engaging and useful, and mentoring for success in professional writing.
Beth Kelsey, EdD, APRN, WHNP-BC, FAANP
