Editorial
Susan Tregoning
School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of South Australia, SA
PP: 003 - 004
Article Text
I am delighted to present to you the first issue of CONTEMPORARY NURSE. As with all projects of this magnitude, the Journal is a culmination of the efforts of a team of dedicated people who have unconditionally given me their full support and undertaken tasks often under profound pressure from other commitments. The members of this team are the Department Editors, the Editorial Board and Referees. Similarly, there have been many other individuals, too numerous to acknowledge here, who have given me assistance and support through timely advice and encouragement. I hope however, that through our interactions they are already conscious of my appreciation of their contribution. I am also grateful to the Schools of Nursing (soon to be a Faculty of Nursing) of the University of South Australia, for the support they have given to the establishment of an independent refereed Journal and to TECHSEARCH, the University's entrepreneurial branch, for providing the establishment loan.
My motivation to instigate a new refereed nursing journal has arisen from three major concerns that myself and others have, related to the lagging development of an Australian perspective to nursing knowledge. Firstly, the lack of an Australian flavour is reflected in the nursing literature which is mainly developed for the USA or the UK markets and often require interpretation to fit the Australian setting. Secondly, with the career restructuring there has been a steady growth in the number of Australian nurse experts whose practice has not been shared or developed and further constructed into nursing knowledge. Thirdly, there is a growing awareness of the necessity to validate the professionalisation of nursing in Australia through the rigours of publication and peer review. By providing an additional refereed journal in which issues related to Australian nursing and its practice can be published, I am hoping to address these concerns to some degree.
These concerns were central to the development of the mission statement for CONTEMPORARY NURSE. This is:
To provide the Nursing Profession with an open forum to channel opinions and literary endeavours with emphasis placed on a broad spectrum of scholarly writing.
The Journal's formula has been decided so as to represent the broad dimensions of Australian nursing practice. The 'Features' section of the content will publish manuscripts related to the practice of nursing in all of its various settings. Practice in this context, is also considered to encapsulate education· and administration. Within this section, undergraduate nursing students' university work will also be published. The purpose of this is to recognize that although students may lack the application of knowledge through practice, they can contribute to the advancement of nursing knowledge.
CONTEMPORARY NURSE will also publish regular departments titled Soap Box, Exemplars, Notice Board and Readers' Choice.
The intention of the Soap Box is to publish issues expressed on a range of subjects relating to nursing. These could include a variety of concerns extending from nursing practice through to specific issues of professionalisation.
The Exemplar section is specifically concerned with publishing descriptions of nursing practice. It is believed that through reflecting on practice, an image of the ethos of Australian Nursing will be constructed. It is also hoped that through these shared experiences the Journal will contribute to the growth of nursing networks and to further research.
The other Departments are information sharing segments including Book Reviews, Notice Board and Readers' Choice. The latter is particularly significant to the on-going development of the Journal, since its objective is to identify particular areas of practice about which members of the profession would like to gain current information. It is anticipated that suggestions from the information in Readers' Choice will act as a catalyst for further submissions.
Members of the Editorial Board and myself are sincere in our expectations that CONTEMPORARY NURSE will be responsive to the expressed needs of the Nursing Profession. In turn we hope that the Profession will recognise and support the on-going development of the Journal. We are grateful for the support that we have received from eminent members of the Nursing Profession who have agreed to serve on the National Advisory Board. The Board will provide general information regarding the Journal to members of the profession. In addition they will provide me with feed-back on the Journal's progress.
By 1994 I am optimistic that we will be producing four issues per year. This however will depend on two very significant factors; firstly the profession's response to calls for manuscripts and secondly the financial viability of the Journal. The initial funds for the establishment of CONTEMPORARY NURSE have been provided through a loan from TECHSEARCH. It is, however, expected that the Journal must become self supporting within the very near future. This, for the most part, can only be achieved through regular subscriptions.
I am very encouraged by the support that has been given to the first issue of CONTEMPORARY NURSE. I would again like to thank the Department Editors and colleagues on the Editorial Board for their unfailing efforts to execute their role.
Susan Tregoning
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