Editorial: Our Nurses. Our Future.

Abstract

The International Council of Nurses (ICN) theme for International Nurses Day, has a focus on looking to the future (International Council of Nurses, 2023). The aim of the Our Nurses. Our Future campaign is to shine a light on nurses, to move nurses from invisible to invaluable in the eyes of policy makers, the public, and those who make decisions affecting healthcare delivery. As we adjust to living with COVID-19 and dealing with the ongoing aftermath of this pandemic (Downey et al., 2023), the nursing workforce is exhausted, somewhat decimated, and grappling as we search for the positives to move forward. The call for a radical re-visioning of nursing has been made by eminent discipline leaders whose breadth and depth of nursing expertise is unparalleled (Anders et al., 2021). The need to heed the lessons of the past, while challenging the status quo to create opportunities for our future is nowmore than ever, incumbent on the next generation of nursing leaders. Future leaders are being educated, mentored at the frontline, or currently participating in change processes that will impact the social, political, cultural and economic context of care provision (Anders et al., 2021). To best support these leaders the Contemporary Nurse team have revised the aims and scope of this journal to ensure we publish research on emerging fronts in health services that are directly relevant to contemporary nursing practice. Our aim is to intensify discipline advancement, professional development, and evidence-based standards for practice by publishing stimulating, informative articles on a range of issues directly relevant to contemporary clinical nursing practice, irrespective of the setting in which that takes place. We welcome contributions focused on clinically relevant, new and novel evidence generation, translation and implementation. We will strive to stimulate the international exchange of ideas for sustainable healthcare delivery, digital health integration, patient participation, safe quality care, and clinical workforce recruitment, retention, education, and training. We cannot move into this new era of nursing without acknowledging our previous Editor in Chief, Professor Louise Hickman. Professor Hickman has been a passionate advocate for nursing and led Contemporary Nurse for almost a decade, during which time she was able to strengthen the standing of this journal as a reputable avenue for scholarly discourse. Like many others, I have been fortunate to have been mentored by Professor Hickman as a peer reviewer, then more recently an Editor. The Contemporary Nurse Board in turn, have provided guidance and direction for the journal, and in this next phase of growth we are privileged to have the continued support of several exemplary nursing leaders on the Editorial Board. As the new Editor in Chief, I look forward to being guided by these leaders who continue to be instrumental in determining our professional future. We are committed to growing a diverse team of Managing and Associate Editors with cognate areas of specialisation to ensure the discourse the journal provides in these fields is optimal. The management support the team provides behind the scenes is pivotal for timely communication and the capacity to meet the needs of our readership. Our Editorial team are deeply committed to mentoring authors, and scholars who contribute to peer review and Taylor and Francis provide a range of resources for those