What can Social Networking do for a Nurse? The use of social media and other electronic communication is significantly expanding as the number of social media outlets, applications and platforms continue to increase. The same goes with nurses. Just like everyone else nowadays, nurses use blogs, video sites, social networking sites, online chat rooms as well as forums to communicate both personally and professionally with others. This may include having a Facebook page, Twitter account or posting blogs on various sites. When used creatively and smartly, social media is an exciting and valuable tool. But, in some cases social media can have a negative effect on a nurse’s career and license. There is a thin line between professional and personal online etiquette and here are some guidelines that will show you how to use social media properly, as well as avoid possible threats. Related: Top 10 Tips to Prepare Yourself on the Day of the NCLEX Benefits Having an account on various social platforms can be beneficial in a number of ways. First of all, one of the most important ones is the opportunity for nurses to exchange information with so many healthcare professionals from around the world. Whether you are wondering about various treatments, special procedures, usage of medication or anything else, you can simply ask and find out. That’s the first and foremost benefit of social media. Whether it’s on Facebook, Twitter, online forums or even nurse related sites, you can get information on basically anything you are interested in. Secondly, along with the constant presence of information on social media, another benefit is the speed of communicating. Whether it’s in the morning or late night, you can always get informed with the lighting speed. So many other health care professionals are using social media on a daily basis and whenever you ask or post something, someone is going to be there and reply. Due to easy access to digital sources of communication, social media platforms are incredibly effective and fast! Thirdly, the simplicity of using social media is another benefit. Going through medical school, you probably remember never-ending piles of books, which were the only source of information. Nowadays, that old-fashioned ways of listing hundreds of pages
to find out about a simple procedure are replaced with informing on social media. So, instead of having ten books in order to find a piece of information, you can simply go to your computer and type in what you need with a simple sentence. It’s much easier, quicker and you always have access to it. Threats As stated above, there is a dangerously thin line between professional and personal online etiquette and you should always be careful with sharing information on social media. Inappropriate use of social media can sometimes lead to disciplinary action, and in the most serious cases, can negatively affect a nurse’s career and license. So, whenever you use any social media platform, you have to be careful about anything that would violate patients’ privacy. Posting videos or photos of patients, photos that reveal room numbers or sharing patients’ records online is absolutely forbidden. You must maintain patient confidentiality and privacy at all times because of the risks related to disclosure of protected information. Related: Nurses Work Life Another threat of social media is the consequences of violated patient privacy. If you do violate the patient’s privacy, you are not the only one that suffers consequences. It hurts your profession as well. Any breach of trust associated with a nurse-patient relationship has damaging effects, and often winds up hurting the overall trustworthiness of the nursing profession as a whole. So, be precautious when sharing information online! The last decade has probably seen more changes in nursing than in the previous 50 years. With the boom of technology, social media found its use in the nursing profession. There are numerous benefits of social media including interaction with other healthcare professionals, simple enquiry of information and incredible pace of getting the required information. However, with this resource comes great responsibility. As nurses navigate social networking sites, chat rooms and forums, there are many threats that could negatively affect a nurse’s career. So, the most important thing you can do is to get educated about social media before starting to use online platforms and forums. Education is the key to success!
Related: Leading Associate Professor of Nursing Edna R. Magpantay-Monroe, Ed.D., APRN to be Published in the Worldwide Leaders in Healthcare as New Member of the International Nurses Association Please follow us on Facebook, Linkedin, Pinterest and Twitter