Nursing made Incredibly Easy! has been here for 20 years! What an accomplishment to have achieved success in our competitive environment. The secret isn't a secret at all: We use evidence-based research to support evidence-based practice. That premise has created a dedicated following and given the publication a reputation as a trusted resource for nurses. We've been recognized for our feature articles throughout the years and have become an excellent source for continuing education.
This issue is no different, as we investigate care of the patient with pneumothorax and hemothorax, chlorohexidine baths in oncology, congenital heart disease, and neurologic examinations. You'll notice that we have an additional focus on students and their needs. Students are our future, and Nursing made Incredibly Easy! wants to support our nursing students. There's an Education Extra on nurse residency programs that support successful transitions into practice, a piece on NCLEX success, and an expert column on technology in healthcare.
We're keenly aware that we're once again facing a nursing shortage. This shortage was predicted years ago as we looked at decreased enrollments in nursing schools, declining availability of academic faculty, and a decrease in nurses choosing direct care. The mean age of nurses in the US is 52 years.1 Many nurses are looking at retirement after years of investing in their career area of choice. The pandemic has only exacerbated existing problems. Nurses are now leaving the profession, looking into early retirement, or choosing career paths that will move them away from direct patient care.
Nursing has been voted the most trusted profession for 20 years in a row and for good reason. Time and again nurses have displayed exemplary courage and strong ethical values in the face of adversity. Now our most trusted profession is in a crisis that continues to spiral as we struggle to support, educate, and empower current and future professionals. Nursing made Incredibly Easy! has been with you every step of the way, providing social media opportunities for education and communication, and the features that educate our readership on not only evidence-based practice, but how the healthcare systems function.
Understanding that safe, quality care is a choice and a process and nursing's role in that is crucial. I want to draw your attention to an excellent commentary from Dr. Anne Dabrow Woods, the Chief Nurse for Wolters Kluwer's Health, Learning Research and Practice division. Dr. Woods gives an insightful overview of where we've been in that last 20 years and how Nursing made Incredibly Easy! has grown and developed to meet the needs of our audience.
Welcome to our 20th anniversary edition. If you're new to our publication, I welcome and invite you to dive into our archives and see for yourself our body of work. We have much to be proud of.
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