Nursing journals are essential in keeping yourself updated with the latest trends and innovations. By reading these journals regularly, you educate yourself about the newest trends and issues in nursing.
Online journals for nurses are often categorized by fields or specialties. There are journals that tackle general nursing practice, pediatric nursing, oncology, OB-Gyne and many more.
If you are looking for journals worth subscribing to, see the following list of journals best recommended for nurses:
Nursing Made Incredibly Easy! is based on the Incredibly Easy! book series of Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. This journal focuses on breaking down difficult nursing concepts for easy learning. They present difficult nursing topics in a fun and engaging way so you can easily understand tricky nursing concepts.
The journal features colorful clinical artwork illustrations that demonstrate nursing concepts in a humorous way. Cheat sheets, nursing mnemonics, humor, and memory aides are also featured.
Key Features:
– Costs $24.95 per year
– Colorful eye-catching pages aid in visual learning
– Each article is written and presented with precision so topics are easily understood. Tips and tricks featured for studying are useful for nursing students
– Publishes on a bi-monthly basis
The American Journal of Nursing has the distinction of being the oldest running nursing journal in the world. Their publications date back to the 1900s when the nursing profession was only beginning to gain recognition around the world. They have years of history in providing evidence-based and timely clinical information.
Published monthly, the American Journal of Nursing features the latest clinical researches, healthcare news, commentaries, legal advice, and CE self-study articles for nurses. As a result, their platform is used not only by nurses but also by other healthcare professionals, journalists, and even patients.
Key features:
– Costs $28.95 per year
– Runs on 12 print issues per year
– Includes AJN iPad app and full access to AJNonline.com
– Features opportunities to earn CE units
– Includes monthly e-newsletter subscription to AJN eNews
The Journal of Nursing Care Quality aims to educate nurses about the importance of ensuring patient care quality and safety in rendering health care services. It focuses on the principles of quality assurance in a clinical setting.
The JNCQ also features timely insights about a wide variety of peer-reviewed articles and is considered the best resource for literature and research studies about nursing care and patient care quality.
Key Features:
– Costs $135 for an annual subscription
– Subscription includes 4 print issues and online access to current and back issues
– iPad app included for the journal
– features how-to guides about the latest innovations in quality patient care
– features a wide diversity of peer-reviewed articles
Also read: 20 Tips for Nurses in Their First Year of Nursing
Nursing 2020 is a nursing journal that focuses on providing practical information to nurses in all fields. Updates about drugs, nursing care techniques, emerging diseases, patient care legal considerations and ethical issues are regularly featured in this journal. Nurses in various healthcare settings like hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities will find this journal useful for career advancement.
Key Features:
– Costs $24.95 annually
– At least two CE units are featured in each issue
– Charts, graphs, and other illustrations are featured to break down difficult clinical concepts
– Articles featuring real nurses’ memorable experiences are hallmark features of this journal
– Subscription includes online access to their archived issues and exclusive online-only contents
The International Nurses Society on Addictions publishes the Journal of Addictions Nursing to address the growing addiction problem nowadays. Nurses, not only those in the psychiatric nursing filed, mostly encounter patients with addiction problems in every clinical setting. It is important to become well-informed about the issues and trends in addiction as this problem needs special attention in planning patient care.
The Journal of Addictions Nursing releases new publications on a quarterly basis. They publish original articles on current trends, issues, innovations, practices, and researches in different addictive disorders. They also focus on discussing prevention, intervention, management, and treatment of substance abuse or misuse as well as other addictive problems.
Key Features:
– Publishes 4 issues per year
– Features commentaries about the latest addiction issues
– Identifies the unique roles of nurses in addressing and managing addiction problems among patients
– Offers opportunities to earn CE credits
– Features reviews about the latest research studies in this field
As its name shows, Clinical Nurse Specialist™ is made to keep clinical nurse specialists up-to-date with their skills and knowledge as a clinician, consultant, researcher, executive and educator to their patients. Being a clinical nurse specialist is an independent practice and this journal will help you weigh if you need help in updating your skills and knowledge in this field.
This journal tackles different issues in advanced nursing practice. Updates on clinical information vital in today’s practice are discussed comprehensively in each issue. Common topics discussed include drug updates, quality assurance, evaluation tools, nursing program development and management strategies.
Key Features:
– Costs $166 per year
– Publishes 6 print issues per year
– The subscription also includes full-text online access to current and archived issues
– With Clinical Nurse Specialist™ app for iPad
– Features Editorial Commentary for nurses in independent nursing practice
Also read: 10 Best Free Ipad Apps for Nurses
The Holistic Nursing Practice journal focuses on the holistic approach of nursing care. Featured articles address clinical and psychosocial concerns of patients to achieve quality nursing care. The journal puts an in-depth focus on timely holistic care topics that will be practical to multidisciplinary nursing practice.
Controversies and issues related to holistic nursing practice are common topics. If you want to learn more about the role of holistic approach to patient care, you will find the contributions of experts in this field helpful in understanding this practice. Activities that will help you earn continuing education credits are also featured in each issue for nurses pursuing to earn CE units.
Key Features:
– Costs $129 for an annual subscription
– Publishes 6 print issues per year
– Focuses on timely topics
– Opportunities to earn CE units featured in each issue
– Subscription includes online access to current and past issues
– Runs on bimonthly publications
This Online Journal of Issues in Nursing is run by the American Nurses Association. It aims to address the issues and obstacles nurses face nowadays in the field of nursing research, education and clinical practice. Peer-reviewed articles from experts in different fields of nursing are featured to keep readers aware of the latest issues in nursing practice. Unlike the other popular nursing journals around, OJIN is an electronic journal fully accessible online.
Since OJIN is an electronic journal, unsolicited and voluntary article contributions make it interesting to read. Before publishing contributions online, the OJIN Editorial Review Board members recommend submitted articles for publication. Journal topics vary but emphasis is given to general nursing practice, education, research, and other relevant parts of the healthcare sector.
Key Features:
– Continuing education units are offered through ANA Online CE
– ANA members have full access to current topics
– OJIN posts new topics three times a year
– Toolkits, factsheets, and learning materials are provided to members
Advances in Nursing Science is an intellectual publication that discusses the innovations in nursing science and education. Although ANS features scholarly articles, the journal is interestingly readable. You can find timely research studies and emerging nursing theories and updates on the development of nursing science that can have a direct impact on nursing care in today’s practice.
In the past years, the ANS journal has been classified as one the most read and assigned publications by different doctoral programs in nursing. Featured scholarly articles and research papers are scientifically sound for academe so faculties of post-graduate studies in nursing commonly use their publications as part of education programs.
Key Features:
– Costs $184 for an annual subscription
– Publishes 4 print issues per year
– Features interesting research studies
– Published articles and studies are peer-reviewed
– Subscription includes full-text online access to current and back issues
– Includes Advances in Nursing Sciences for the iPad ®
Clinical Simulation in Nursing is the official journal of the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning. This journal is dedicated to providing innovations and more effective methods of learning for nursing educators and students.
Each issue features clinical articles about simulations and educational tools to improve nursing learning.
Key Features:
– Costs $106 for annual subscription; online-only access available
– Free shipping around the world
– Subscription includes online access to archived contents
– Can be accessed using smartphone or tablet
– Online subscription available for international nurses
Also read: 15 Educational Nursing Games You Can Play Online
Journals for other Nursing Sub-Specialties
If you are interested in journals dedicated to a specific nursing sub-specialty, here’s a list of other journals as organized according to their catered nursing sub-specialties:
- Maternal and Child Nursing
– MCN, The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing
– Journal of Perinatal and Neonatal Nursing
– Journal of Pediatric Nursing
- Geriatric Nursing
– Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy
– Journal of Gerontological Nursing
– Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation
- Cancer and Oncology Nursing
– The Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing
– CURE: Cancer Updates, Research and Education
- Critical and Emergency Care
– International Emergency Nursing
– Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal
– Journal of Emergency Nursing
– Critical Care Nursing Quarterly
– Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing
- Orthopedic Nursing
– Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation
- Surgical Nursing
- Administrative Nursing
– Journal for Nurses in Professional Development
– JONA: Journal of Nursing Administration
– Nursing Administration Quarterly
– Professional Case Management
– Reflections on Nursing Leadership
It’s not cheap to subscribe to nursing journals so pick the publications most relevant to your specific career path. To maximize your subscription, go for the CE units offered in each publication.