Welcome to the premier issue of American Nurse Today—the official journal of the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the new voice for today’s nurses in all specialties and practice settings.

American Nurse Today presents practical information for nurses and provides a forum for examining critical issues. Each month, we’ll offer evidence-based, peer-reviewed articles on important clinical topics, advice to help you manage your career and shape your practice, and updates on ANA’s work on behalf of the nursing profession. Our goal is to strengthen and improve nursing practice and encourage active professional involvement.

To help determine the journal’s content, we’ve been holding focus groups and conducting surveys to find out what topics nurses consider important. I’d like to thank all of the nurses who’ve participated in these endeavors and are helping to shape our editorial agenda.

Each issue of American Nurse Today will offer:

•     an in-depth cover story that examines a compelling topic in nursing

•     a continuing education (CE) offering on an important clinical or nursing practice issue (this month’s CE is on managing heart failure patients according to the latest practice guidelines)

•     several feature articles

•     articles in our four special sections—Strictly Clinical, Career Sphere, Practice Matters, and Mind/Body/Spirit

•     ANA updates on legislative initiatives and health and safety issues, plus a message from the ANA president.

We know nurses are busy—you are selective about how you spend your limited leisure time. So we’ve created a quick-access, easy-to-use format. Not only are our articles accurate, authoritative, and packed with important information; they’re also written in a concise style.

For our premier issue, we present a cover story that takes stock of the current state of nursing and previews what lies ahead. “Nursing—today and beyond” examines where the nursing profession is now and predicts where it’s heading. Experts in nursing and other healthcare fields give us enlightening perspectives on today’s trends and controversies, then forecast how nursing will evolve over the next few decades. Topics range from the nursing workforce and education to the role of technology in healthcare.

Caring for the caregiver

You’ve dedicated yourself to caring for patients, so we’re dedicating our Mind/Body/Spirit section to caring for you, the caregiver. This section aims to help you achieve balance among all aspects of your life, and focuses on something too many nurses overlook—their own physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

About our editorial advisory board, staff, and publisher

To guide the editorial vision and direction of American Nurse Today, we’ve gathered a distinguished Editorial Advisory Board of renowned leaders in nursing and other health-related fields. They will help keep us on track—and in touch with the most important issues in nursing.

Our editorial staff includes experienced nursing editors and a full force of publishing professionals to make our nurse-authors’ words come alive. Our publisher, HealthCom Media, has a long-standing reputation for developing high-quality medical and healthcare journals.

I’m honored to be Editor-in-Chief of this exciting new journal. I have been an ANA member throughout my career, and have served in many elected and appointed positions at the local, state, and national levels.

Tell us what you think

You, the readers, are our most important asset. We’re eager to hear what you think of our new journal. To take our topic survey or to submit feedback, suggestions, or letters to the editor, visit our website at www.AmericanNurseToday.com.

Please consider writing for us, too. If you have an idea for a story, go to our website and click on “For Authors.” We’re also looking for nurses to review articles for accuracy and currency.

I know firsthand the power and influence of our collective action—and the importance of spreading those messages to all nurses. So let your voice be heard. Working together, we will advance our profession.

Pamela F. Cipriano, PhD, RN, FAAN
Editor-in-Chief