Have you ever searched for literature on a topic only to be disappointed in what you found? Or have you wished that you had written up your work when you saw someone else publish on the same topic? If you've answered yes to either question, then it's time for you to buckle down and write your story for publication. You owe it to the profession, and to yourself.
Don't believe the myths: "It's too hard," "I don't have enough time," "It will never be accepted," "I don't have anything to write about," and on and on. Excuses, all of them! I'm quite sure you've done a quality improvement project, presented a poster, researched a topic of interest, started a new initiative, had thoughts on a compelling issue, or even performed a research study. Any and all of those concepts, and others, are the substrate for an article.
Case in point-in this issue, the first- and second-place poster winners from last year's Nursing Management Congress have written their stories for publication. If you've gotten as far as a poster abstract, or a slide presentation, then you're already halfway finished. Narrowing down your idea and scoping out the outline can sometimes be the hardest part; once you're there, expanding it to a beginning, middle, and end comes somewhat naturally.
I say that with a bit of self-humor. I wasn't a natural born lover of writing; in fact, I would rather answer 1,000 multiple choice questions than compose one essay when I was in school. Maybe it's a product of my predominant left brain, and you may be nodding your heads in assent. If I can overcome the irrational fear, so can you.
What "something" in your work as a leader do you love? That's your first step. Writing about your passion makes it easier and leads to a much better manuscript. If there's even a flicker of interest, don't let it disappear. Act on it. Use your colleagues and mentors to help.
In October, I'll be doing a breakout session at Nursing Management Congress to demystify the writing process and help you focus your idea for publication. You'll even realize that peer review isn't as terrifying as it seems and how the revision process only makes your manuscript stronger. Whether it's clinical work, unit management, research, quality improvement, general leadership, staff engagement, patient experience, practice environment, informatics, or any of the other areas you know, the editorial board and staff of this journal, or other journals, are willing to assist you.
Tell your story-your colleagues want to read and learn from it. It's important for our nursing narrative and evidence base, and will impact others. I hope to see you at Nursing Management Congress!
NMCongress 2017 highlighted speaker
Don't miss "Pursuing Value in a Time of Healthcare Transformation: Delivering Quality Care to Diverse Populations," presented by Joseph Betancourt, MD, MPH, Founder and Director, The Disparities Solutions Center; Senior Scientist, Mongan Institute for Health Policy Center; Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; and Director of Multicultural Education, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Mass. Across the country, healthcare organizations are aiming to deliver care that's both high quality and cost effective, with high value being the ultimate goal. At the same time, our nation is becoming increasingly diverse, but racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare persist. This session will provide an overview of key issues and lessons learned to achieve these goals.
[email protected]