I am incredibly excited to be able to write this Editorial. Aside from fall being my personal favorite time of the year, this season of thanksgiving and celebration gives me a good reason and the perfect opportunity to publicly thank all the groups and individuals who help to make the JDNA an ongoing success. As you can imagine, the production of this journal is only accomplished with the collaboration of many parties. But, in fact, you may be surprised just how many people it takes to have this journal come off the presses every 2 months. Let me tell you about some of the various groups involved in the process.
Authors: The publishing process always begins with our authors. Without this group of people, our job would be nonexistent. Here at JDNA, we know that this singular group of individuals is the keystone to our purpose. Developing relationships with authors and seeing the product of their hard work become a published reality have been particularly rewarding. Since I know all of our readers have great potential to be authors, I am confident that some of you will consider writing for publication; I am looking forward to working with many of you in the upcoming year!
Reviewers: Before any manuscript is considered for publication, it has gone through at least two peer-reviewed examinations. Truly, without our cadre of talented, dedicated, and thorough reviewers, the editor's job would be exceedingly more challenging. The Journal greatly benefits from their careful eyes and their dermatology expertise. Maybe some of you would consider serving as a reviewer for 2012?
JDNA Board: Melissa and I are fortunate to work with a dedicated group of JDNA Board Members. Without their expert guidance and vision, this Journal would not be what it is today. Please help me applaud these individuals for volunteering to do the ongoing hard work of the Journal.
DNA Board and Staff: Four years ago, the Dermatology Nurses' Association (DNA) decided it was time for our organization to have full ownership of our Journal. The JDNA is a direct result of that decision, and we have been reaping the full rewards ever since. The JDNA is fortunate to have such support in the form of DNA staff, DNA Board of Directors, and the DNA membership. The JDNA is looking forward to continued good relations with our Society leadership.
Publishing Team: The staff at Lippincott Williams & Wilkins have been extraordinarily generous in sharing their time, their talents, and their knowledge of the publishing world. They are so adept at helping guide our nascent journal and have been exceptionally patient as we all learn. The adroitness with which they facilitate the publication process is a statement of their professionalism. It has truly been my pleasure to work with these capable and dedicated individuals.
Readers: You, my dear readers, are probably the most important link in this whole process. The various groups of people I have written about are only important if you read the finished product. The aforementioned people are all just hoping that you read the articles, gain new knowledge, and, through this interaction, continue to have the passion for dermatology nursing that fuels us. It is with true joy that we serve you, the reader, and hope that you are happy with the results of our efforts.
The JDNA in the upcoming year will continue to have new features-ones that we think will directly benefit you. Starting with the January/February 2012 issue, you will see our column called "Coding & Billing News & Updates." It is important for all of us as dermatology nurses to become familiar with the basic principles of coding and billing. This topic should be just as important to us as any clinical topic, and to kick off this column and tell us why, Faith McNicholas, CPC, CPCD, PCS, CDC, of the American Academy of Dermatology, will be sharing an extremely informational article about the upcoming change from ICD-9 to ICD-10. "What's ICD?" you ask, and "What do those numbers mean?" Keep reading; she will tell you more in the article!
On another note, have you "liked" us on Facebook, followed us on Twitter, or visited our journal Web site? Continuing our efforts to be connected with our readers, JDNA has started a group on LinkedIn, and we invite you to join us. We will bring you the latest developments in dermatology and moderate discussion in this open-access group. Through our Web site and social media channels, we look forward to sharing dermatology news, along with all of our journal content and special online-only features. We hope that you will stop by and visit us soon!
Wishing you, your practices, and your patients a happy holiday season! [black small square]
Angela L. Borger
Interim Editor
Melissa Derby
Managing Editor