“New”

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• Copyright

The word “new” suggests anticipation, opportunity, fulfillment, and perhaps even a bit of trepidation. A new mother, a new nurse, a new journal! All convey a fresh journey, a hint of unexplored destinations, and also a touch of apprehension.

In a recent conversation with a young woman several weeks from her due date, she spoke to me about her birthing classes—how joyous, funny, and illuminating they were. This new mother-to-be evidenced none of the confusion or anxiety I had seen in her a few short months ago. Intrigued, I talked with her about what had changed. She spoke eloquently about the nurse who had recently conducted her birthing classes, an expert practitioner who knew how to use humor appropriately—“if your husband is comfortable with technology, he will look only at the monitor,” who wasn't reluctant to offer guidance, “if your water breaks and it's green, go right to the hospital—green means go,” and who used information to foster patients' decision making—“Dr. Smith has a section rate of 32%.”

At the last Delegate Assembly of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Rosemary Gibson, a Senior Program Officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, ended her presentation with this vignette, citing the work of Rachel Remen.

A newly graduated nurse's patient coded. As the emergency team surrounded the patient and literally took over the care of this individual, the new nurse, realizing that there was nothing she could do, shrank into a corner feeling unprepared and unequal to the situation and prayed.

After long minutes, the patient was resuscitated. The recent graduate went home that evening in despair, sure that she had chosen the wrong profession. Her years in nursing school were all for naught. What good was it all if she was unable to help her patients when it really counted? She resolved to rethink her decision about embracing nursing as her chosen profession.

The next morning, the newly graduated nurse went into the patient's room. He was eating breakfast and said to her, “I saw you standing in the corner yesterday; it's nice to see you again. I was pretty close to dying wasn't I?” The nurse replied, “how could you see me, your bed was surrounded by people and by equipment.” “It was very intense,” the patient replied, “so I had to get away.” “I went up above and held on to you. You were so quiet that I knew you were praying for me, so I held on to you.”

The essence of teaching is sharing joy. Our new journal, Teaching and Learning in Nursing, the official publication of the National Organization of Associate Degree Nursing, invites you to share the joy of teaching with your peers. Associate degree education is rich in innovative instructional strategies and educational research, and we are encouraging nursing educators to publish articles relevant to their practice. As the current generation of nursing educators nears retirement, it will become more and more critical to mentor newly minted teachers. Publishing our “stories” is one very effective approach to mentoring.

Our publishing guidelines identify the types of articles appropriate for submission, including articles related to the role of education in clinical practice. The wide latitude that exists within these guidelines should foster the sharing of the creativity and ingenuity that characterizes Associate Degree Nursing education and practice.