As the incoming editor of Rehabilitation Nursing, I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself. I have been a member of ARN since 1985 and was certified as a CRRN for 25 years. I have served in various roles within ARN, most recently as a member of the Professional Rehabilitation Nursing Competency Model committee and as an editorial board member and reviewer for the journal. I spent the last 28 years of my nursing career in academia, as a faculty member, program director, and dean. During those years I continued writing and authored/edited several editions of my graduate nursing textbook, Chronic Illness: Impact and Intervention, the last being the 10th edition published in 2017.
Many thanks to the outgoing editor of RNJ, Dr. Kris Mauk. Kris has worked tirelessly to advance the journal in the past two years. Dr. Linda Pierce is continuing in her role as associate editor. Linda brings much experience to the journal, and I look forward to working with her.
A goal for 2019 is for the Editorial Board to be more engaged in the journal. Editorial Board members are selected because of their expertise in both the clinical arena and research. I feel that their expertise has been underutilized, and I hope to better use their wisdom in the future. The editorial board meeting at conference was rich with possibilities. Ideas for special focus journal issues were explored at the meeting and likely will come to fruition next year. I wish to thank retiring member of the Editorial Board, Grace Campbell, for her service.
Lastly, I would be remiss to not mention ARN's annual conference in West Palm Beach. REACH 2018 offered a wide range of topics to meet the needs of rehabilitation nurses in varying roles. Inspirational speaker and TBI survivor, Kevin Pearce, spoke of his real-life experience with enthusiasm and humor to open the conference, while Debbie Gauldin, nurse and humorist, closed the conference with humorous nursing stories and words of wisdom. In between, attendees had many educational choices such as an update from ARN's Center for Health Policy and Advocacy, a session on cardiovascular disease prevention, caring for LGBTQIA+ patients, CARF accreditation and brain neuroplasticity, and too many others to name. As always, networking opportunities were numerous particularly during the Special Interest Group (SIG) meetings. To the staff nurse SIG, thank you for allowing me to visit with you at your meeting and explore ideas for articles that would enhance your knowledge. A highlight of the conference was the RNF dinner symposium on stroke survivors and their caregivers. I encourage you to plan to attend ARN REACH 2019 in the fall, when ARN will be celebrating 45 years!
Pamala D. Larsen, PhD, RN
Editor-in-Chief
Professor Emerita
Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing
University of Wyoming
Laramie, Wyoming