The Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN) is seeking candidates for the position of Editor-in-Chief of a new journal for the medical-surgical nursing community: Advancing Medical Surgical Nursing^TM, effective January 2025.

Subject to AMSN Board of Directors approval, the Editor-in-Chief is responsible for establishing the new Advancing Medical Surgical Nursing^TM journal as a leading publication in the nursing profession by building a robust evidence base for medical-surgical nursing. Its mission is to advance medical-surgical nursing knowledge through the publication of peer-reviewed research, quality improvement, and evidence-based practice. AMSN is partnering with a leading healthcare publisher to bring this publication to life and the Editorial Board is in the process of finalizing the journal aim, scope, and standards.

Reports to: AMSN Board of Directors

Term: The Editor-in-Chief is appointed to a 3-year term, potentially renewable at the discretion of the AMSN Board of Directors.

Salary Range: $50,000-$60,000 based on experience

Responsibilities

• Work hand-in-hand with AMSN leaders to uphold the mission, editorial quality, rigorous ethical standards, and reputation for meaningful scholarship of the journal.
• Work closely with the Journal Publishing company on journal development to establish the journal’s impact.
• Define the aim and scope of the journal in collaboration with the Editorial Board to ensure its relevance and usage.
• Acquire and develop the editorial material necessary to produce the journal to provide the medical-surgical nursing community with a quality, peer-reviewed publication in partnership with AMSN and Journal Publisher.
• Work with the editorial office to maintain and administer the journal’s editorial policies and procedures, and to revise them or establish new policies as appropriate, subject to AMSN Board approval, to reflect relevant changes and best practices in research, clinical practice, and scholarly publishing.
• Responsible for selecting content, including original articles, departments, columns, and editorials.
• Recruit, select, and train reviewers as needed in partnership with the Journal Publisher. Provide feedback to reviewers annually.
• Monitor the peer review process to ensure that appropriate and well‐defined procedures for timely review are unbiased and faithfully executed; and maintain the integrity and confidentiality of authors’ work while it is under evaluation for publication.
• Direct activities of the Editorial Board, including calling and presiding at meetings of the Editorial Board.
• Identifies and recommends candidates for Editorial Board positions to the AMSN President-Elect who then submits recommendations to the AMSN Board of Directors.
• Create an orientation process for newly appointed Editorial Board members in conjunction with Publisher.
• Write editorials and solicit occasional guest editorials, as appropriate.
• Oversee editorial process necessary to accomplish strategic plan objectives.
• Submit complete editorial materials, in acceptable form, to the editorial office staff/publishing office according to established deadlines.
• Review proofs for each issue and transmit corrections to the publishing office.
• Contribute input for readership surveys and marketing pieces for the journal.
• Prepare and submit annual reports to AMSN Leaders that include information about 1.) manuscripts received, processed, accepted, rejected; 2.) the activities of the Editorial Board; and 3.) plans for future issues of the journal.
• Submit proposed journal operations budget to AMSN Finance Committee each summer and work within the journal budget approved by the AMSN Board.
• Develop and oversee ongoing plans and procedures for manuscript solicitation.
• Facilitate ongoing communication, as well as problem solving as needed, between the editorial office and the AMSN Board of Directors, publisher, authors, membership, AMSN headquarters, and the general public.
• Represents the AMSN Journal to other organizations.
• Maintains continuing education and networking as it affects the role of the AMSN Journal editor.
• Assist the AMSN Executive Director, AMSN staff, and the Journal Publishing company with marketing efforts to increase the Journal’s readership.

Travel

• Expected attendance at the AMSN Convention and in-person board meetings as requested.

Qualifications

• The Editor-in-Chief must be at least a Master’s Degree prepared nurse, Doctoral level preferred, with substantial expertise publishing peer reviewed papers in nursing/healthcare journals. 
• Ideal candidates will be medical-surgical nurses with a strong record of published research, performance improvement, and/or evidence-based papers as primary author. 
• The ideal editor will be a highly organized, motivated individual with the skills and talent to develop editorial vision and leadership for this premier medical-surgical nursing journal.
• Publication experience as an author, reviewer and/or Editorial Board member is necessary; as is computer literacy.
• Visibility and a strong network of contacts at the national level are preferred.
• It is expected that the candidate will comply with the policies of the AMSN Journal regarding conflict of interest guidelines, confidentiality policy, and diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

Application

• Interested candidates should submit a letter of interest including a 300-word summary describing interest in the Editor-in-Chief position and thoughts on establishing a new journal for the medical-surgical nursing community.
• Candidates must also submit a curriculum vita that lists all published materials and conflict of interest disclosure no later than Nov. 30, 2024 at 5 p.m. CT.

The AMSN Ad Hoc Editor Search Task Force will select top candidates from the pool of applicants who have submitted a letter of interest and required materials. These top candidates will be invited to participate in a virtual interview with the Ad Hoc Editor Search Task Force in December 2024.

The AMSN Ad Hoc Editor Search Task Force will recommend a candidate for approval by the AMSN Board of Directors. The selected candidate will begin working as the Editor-in-Chief with the AMSN Editorial Board, AMSN staff team, and Journal Publishing company in January 2025.  

Submit questions and all application materials, including a letter of interest, to amsn@amsn.org.    

This is an independent contractor position with AMSN. The AMSN office is located in Chicago — this position will work remotely from any U.S. location.