Note from the Associate Editor: Behind the scenes of the January/February Journal

by Carolyn Riel

If you read ACDIS Editor Linnea Archibald’s, note in last week’s CDI Strategies, you know that the first edition of the CDI Journal for the year published recently focuses on the theme of diversity and inclusion in CDI. With articles about the difference between diversity and inclusion, foreign-trained physicians, and nonclinical professions in CDI, it was a Journal edition vastly different than anything done before here at ACDIS. While the final product is unique, the process of creating it also represented an entirely different experience.

Generally, the process of writing the Journal goes something like this…

Two months before publication, the editorial team discusses article ideas as well as potential sources and contributors. We may tap folks we already know or reach out to new CDI professionals. Those who are amenable get together with us via telephone or computer to chat for a short 30-minute interview. We collect our notes and get to writing, with the entire Journal written a month before it is set to publish. (You guessed it, this means we are already working away at the March/April edition.)

For the January/February edition, however, things happened in a slightly different order. Instead of Linnea and myself curating the article topics and then finding sources, I worked closely with the Diversity and Inclusion Task Force to hear which topics they thought should be included. Task Force members then either chose to write the articles themselves worked with me in the typical interview process, or we reached out to folks as good sources for the articles.

I’ve written articles on how to begin an outpatient CDI program, written pieces on the history of the IPPS final rule. This edition was different. In this edition, our sources and contributors opened up about  topics we don’t normally talk about in the CDI setting. They shared personal stories, offered to put their professional struggles onto the page. So we needed to make sure it was done appropriately and wholly without lessening the contributors’ experiences. We received a lot of positive feedback thus far, but bringing forward these voices and openly having discussions about the discriminations and biases happening in our world was what really mattered.

ACDIS is also always looking to grow. Helping create community is one of its missions. So we aim to not just show the clinical side of CDI but the faces and stories of those working in this amazing industry.

If you haven’t had an opportunity, please take a look at the January/February edition of the Journal and read the stories of your fellow CDI colleagues. Please also take the Demographics and Inclusivity in CDI survey to help us paint the broader picture of what the industry make up looks like. The responses of this survey remain completely anonymous and provides imperative information for our Task Force as to the demographics of CDI and what work we still have to accomplish. Finally, if you’d like to share your story—either your personal experiences of joining the CDI ranks or your professional accomplishments implementing a new project or aspect of your CDI program—please reach out. We’d love to hear from you.

Editor’s note: Riel is the associate editor for ACDIS. Contact her at criel@acdis.org