This week we celebrate Thanksgiving, an American holiday to give thanks for the abundance of the previous year and the fall harvest. Many, but not all of us, get together with family and friends to enjoy a meal and the company of others as fall turns to winter. Some of us will be working, sharing the holiday with our colleagues and patients. No matter what specific plans we each have for the holiday, it is a time of reflection, to identify and give voice to that for which we are thankful.
Lorry, Gayle and I are thankful for you, the readers of the Essentials of Correctional Nursing. Lorry wrote the first post almost five years ago just as we finished editing, our text, The Essentials of Correctional Nursing. We have posted a new blog nearly every week since then. We are grateful to Gayle for joining our blogging adventure this past year and enjoy her take on issues in correctional nursing.
Our purpose in writing the blog is to amplify the material included in the book and to further explore new and recurrent issues in correctional nursing practice. Our most frequently viewed posts address the subjects of delegation, certification in correctional nursing, vital signs, withdrawal, spiritual distress, the ANA Scope and standards of professional practice, and evidence-based practice. As we look back over our files we are thankful for the opportunity the blog has given us to explore subjects in depth.
Day by day, week by week, year by year our readership has grown. We average over 150 hits on the blog every day and have had over 300 hits on some days. Our readership is from all over the world and we have benefited from our contact with correctional nurses from all across the globe. We have more than 200 regular subscribers on email, over 4,000 on Twitter and more than 700 on Facebook. Thank you for your interest and support for the Essentials of Correctional Nursing.
We published The Essentials of Correctional Nursing in 2012, along with eight contributing authors, to reflect the distinguishing features and practices of this specialty in the field of nursing. In doing so we benefited from the support of many colleagues who peer reviewed the manuscript and offered insight about issues in correctional nursing. The text has since been recommended as a resource applicants use to study for certification in correctional nursing. Lorry also has written a series of posts on this blog about how to study for the certification exam and her own journey becoming certified. We are grateful for the growing legion of nurses who are certified in correctional nursing; you are the voice of the profession! If you are not yet certified, perhaps this could be your goal for the new year. It is easier than you think and there are many benefits.
At the end of every year Lorry and I discuss how we are doing with the blog and decide whether to continue and if so, what subjects we are going to tackle in the coming year. This year we decided that with other opportunities and commitments, it is time to move on and no longer will post on the Essentials of Correctional Nursing blog. However we are maintaining the site and the collection of 220 or so posts as a continuing resource for correctional nurses. Next week’s post will be the last and includes a table of contents so that each of our previous posts can be easily accessed from this page!
We continue to support correctional nursing practice through our writing, consulting, and speaking. Here are some helpful links to other correctional nurse resources that we support and endorse:
Correctional Nursing Today Podcast
The Essentials of Correctional Nursing can be ordered directly from the publisher or from Amazon today! Lorry and I, or any of the contributing authors, are always glad to sign and personalize your copy of the text.
Have a safe and grateful holiday!
Photo credit: © gdarts- Fotolia.com
