Northern Michigan University Interim President Kerri Schuiling and her Tennessee-based colleague Francie Likis—both nurse practitioners and midwives—have received an American Journal of Nursing (AJN) Book of the Year Award for their co-edited text, Gynecologic Health Care: With an Introduction to Prenatal and Postpartum Care. The book received second place in the adult primary care category.
“We truly are honored as we have been publishing this book since 2006 and it is now in the fourth edition,” Schuiling said. “We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the many brilliant authors and reviewers we worked with, including several from NMU's School of Nursing. The AJN Book of the Year program is one of nursing's most prestigious competitions and it identifies the publications that have earned significant attention from nursing and other health care professionals.”
Nursing faculty members contributed the following chapters: Women's Health after Gynecologic Surgery, Theresa Durley and Ann Stein; Gynecologic Cancers, Nancy Maas and Associate Dean of Nursing Kristi Robinia; and Chronic Pelvic Pain, Melissa Romero. Professor Rachel Nye provided an expert review of the Overview of Postpartum Care chapter.
Published by Jones & Bartlett Learning, Gynecologic Health Care has also won two Book of the Year awards from the American College of Nurse Midwives. It is billed as “the gold standard in evidence-based care” and advocates a holistic, person-centered approach. New chapters in the fourth edition help clinicians address racism and health disparities, male sexual and reproductive health, and preconception care.
Schuiling and Likis also incorporated gender-inclusive language and explore ways in which clinicians can better-understand the unique healthcare needs of transgender and nonbinary individuals.
“Francie and I met when she was a student of mine and then we became colleagues, teaching gynecology to midwives and nurse practitioners,” Schuiling said. “We were very frustrated that we couldn't find a book that felt right to use for our students, and decided the only way to get one that encompassed nursing and midwifery's philosophy of care throughout was to write it ourselves. The journey began in 2003 and, over 17 years, we have worked on various editions of this book to create a women's health book that did not pathologize normal physiological functions.”
Gynecologic Health Care encompasses both health promotion and management of gynecologic conditions. It provides a strong foundation in gynecologic care and the knowledge necessary to apply it in clinical practice. The book also provides an overview of prenatal and postpartum care, including anatomic and physiologic adaptations of normal pregnancy and common complications of pregnancy. It is intended for all midwives, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other clinicians who provide gynecologic health care.
Each year, the AJN conducts a peer-reviewed process of newly published textbooks and digital resources across nursing and healthcare, selecting three best-in-class products per category.
