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Professionalism, Nursing & Social Media


From the moment I graduated nursing school to present day, I have always reflected on what kind of nurse and professional I want(ed) to be. When you first enter the world of nursing it can be exciting and full of satisfying moments knowing that you had an impact on a patient. The flip side is that it can also be stressful and quite challenging. As my jobs have changed over the years, and I have not only grown as a professional but as a human, my professional compass has evolved.


One thing that has remained steadfast is the guiding principles that I espouse to. Whether directed towards patients, colleagues or direct reports, my goal is to maintain these values. These values include:

  • Honesty

  • Fairness and equity

  • Transparency

  • Leading by example

  • Recognition

  • Accountability

  • Empowerment and mentorship

  • Advocacy

Another cornerstone of who I am as a nurse belongs with the philosophy of being a lifelong learner. As a regulated healthcare professional, I am required to maintain yearly Action Plans with the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO). “The Quality Assurance Program assures the public of nurses’ commitment to continuing competence by continually improving their nursing practice.” (CNO, 2020).

"Let us never consider ourselves finished nurses...we must be learning all of our lives." -Florence Nightingale

Nurses come in all forms and the profession has come a long way since its inception. Nurses work in various healthcare settings and have many roles. These include, but are not limited to:

  • Acute Care

  • Primary Care

  • Public Health

  • Management

  • Research

  • Education

  • Chronic Disease Management

  • Home and Community Care

"Nurses have positioned themselves as an integral part of the interprofessional healthcare team."

But how does the profession fit in the healthcare system as a whole? Nurses are at the forefront of transformative changes occurring in the modern healthcare system. From spearheading quality improvement initiatives to taking a lead in the development of policy and best practices that promote patient centred care, nurses have positioned themselves as an integral part of the interprofessional healthcare team (Salmond & Echevarria, 2017).


An area of healthcare that has evolved over the years, with the advent of the internet, is social media presence. Merriam-Webster (n.d.) defines social media as “forms of electronic communication (such as websites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (such as videos).”


An appropriate social media presence is going to vary from person to person depending on how they are using social media. As a professional, it is important to me that I maintain social media accounts that are ethical and follow professional standards as set out by the CNO. This philosophy applies to both my personal and professional accounts.

"Being a nurse and behaving professionally in social media isn't just about what you shouldn't do, it's also about what you should do."

The CNO and International Nurse Regulator Collaborative (INRC) released a position statement (2016) that outlines the common expectations for nurses with respect to social media use. Even though social media has helped to engage healthcare professionals in facilitating conversations about current best practices and healthcare advancements it is imperative that professional standards are maintained (Regis College, 2019). Nurses in Ontario are bound by practice standards such as Ethics, Therapeutic Nurse-Client Relationships, and Confidentiality and Privacy – Personal Health Information that should be reviewed prior to engaging in social media posts especially as it relates to professional social media content. As reiterated by Chin et al. “being a nurse and behaving professionally in social media isn’t just about what you shouldn’t do, it’s also about what you should do” (2014).


INRC (2016) outlines the six P’s to social media use that can be used as guiding principles when deciding on your post selection on social media. They include:

  • Professional

  • Positive

  • Patient/Person free

  • Protect yourself

  • Privacy

  • Pause before you post

As a healthcare professional, I do not feel obligated to engage or post in public forums. I have, at times, had to reflect and set boundaries (i.e. not respond or post) when I read posts that are disparaging as it is difficult to read comments in public forums when you know that your colleagues are working tirelessly to improve the health and wellbeing of the community. Professionalism in any medium, be that social media or the real world, requires us to share knowledge, be a role model, and support each other. Along with my guiding principles these are the pillars that I will continue to follow as I move forward with my newfound social media presence.


References


College of Nurses of Ontario. (2020). 2020 QA Program. https://www.cno.org/en/myqa/


International Nurse Regulator Collaborative. (2016, December). Social medial use: Common expectations for nurses. https://www.inrc.com/112.htm

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). “Social media.” In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved October 2, 2020 from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20media

Regis College. (2019, June 26). Social media and nursing: Can using social media benefit nursing. www.online.regiscollege.edu

Salmond, S.W., & Echevarria, M. (2017, January). Healthcare transformation and changing roles for nursing. Orthopaedic Nursing, 36(1), 12-25. DOI: 10.1097/NOR.0000000000000308



 
 
 

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