Abstract
I had the honor and privilege of serving twice as the editor of the Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JDMS), initially as the third editor following Dale Cyr from May/June 1990 through 1995 and then as the fifth editor following Julia Drose from 2001 through 2005. The JDMS is a reflection of the sonography profession, and as its standards have risen, so have those of sonographers. Today, I am so proud of our journal and the scientific quality and impact that it has achieved. Diagnostic medical sonography has traveled far.
In thinking back over my experiences as journal editor, two themes come to mind. The first was my perception of the journal as an interactive way to mentor and share with other sonographers. As professionals in a dynamic field, lifelong learning and conveying our skills and insights to each other seemed natural. I wanted other sonographers to be part of the JDMS team, writing with enthusiasm, knowledge, an open mind and eye, and a sense of discovery that they could share with others. In that spirit, encouraging and helping sonographers to publish became a priority. As a high school senior, I was already much into biology and anatomy and therefore was quite surprised when my English teacher nominated me for a writing award. Writing seemed of less importance to me then, but as I have grown, I have often thanked that teacher for giving me the confidence to express myself. As an editor, I wanted to be that teacher and give that same confidence to others. I do admit I was probably obnoxious about it—rewriting or reorganizing papers as I sent them back. I once suggested two sonographers who didn’t know each other but happened to be writing on the same subject to combine their efforts into one paper. That worked well until it came time to establish first and second author. I never tried that again. I did manage to enlarge the number of regular contributors to the journal and the overall page count, though.
The second experience that comes to mind is moving the journal from paper to digital processes. When I took over the editorship from Dale Cyr, I received a box containing two to three papers. Submissions at that time were three copies typed with three (usually loose) sets of glossy black and white pictures. I remember during my first term as editor spreading papers out on my living room floor with manila envelopes addressed to reviewers. Generally, I would be sending one or two papers to a reviewer, but when the sample student papers came, it might have been a pile of four to five that were shipped to multiple locations across the country. I was so excited when Lippincott decided to tentatively test a digital system being developed by a firm in Boston. I traveled there to learn about it and then spent four full days over a Labor Day weekend typing in all the keywords, decision letters, addresses, and other items necessary for a digital editorial platform. A few weeks later, Lippincott informed me that they had decided to use a different company. I grieved that setback, but JDMS was successfully integrated to digital processes and life became easier for our editors and authors.
In the November/December 1995 JDMS during the Clinton health care political maelstrom, I wrote an editorial about the Sonographer Awareness week theme, “Focusing on the Future,” that I quote as follows: In reflecting on our (theme), I have to ask myself if those in charge of the healthcare changes, whoever “they” may be, are also focusing on the future. “They” say that they want to provide quality healthcare at reduced cost, but there are no specific requests, plans, long-range goals, or directions for individual professionals to follow. Have “they” focused on what it means to try to cross-train professionals in multiple fields of specialization that normally require years to learn? Have “they” focused on the realities of education and competence required to achieve adequate patient outcome? Can “they” tell us what skills and attributes they want in the healthcare workforce of the future? Until the planners focus on the future in the same way that we are, until they present a realistic picture of flexibility, accountability, and compromise that maintains quality patient care, “their” conversations strike me as empty rhetoric. In contrast, our SDMS group of sonographers instill pride and hopeful optimism. Our spirit has carried us through challenges in the past and will carry us through to continued quality patient care in the future.
As we face new challenges, new specialties, artificial intelligence, and pandemics in 2020, my optimism remains the same. Front-line sonographers are devoted to quality patient care and lifelong learning, and the JDMS is an important part of our “backpack” for that reason. The goal of the JDMS editors has been to provide a journal that is educational, interesting, timely, accessible, and consistent with current scientific data and thought. It reflects our profession and it is strong.
It was a privilege to be part of the JDMS process, to learn from others, and to share through editorials and articles.
Thank you to the JDMS readers and to all of the editors, staff, and volunteers who have contributed to the journey.