Social Media Dos and Don’ts for Nurses

Hi there, Nurse Lauren here and today I want to talk to all the nurses out there who love social media. In today’s fast paced world where everything can be done with a click of a button and people share every aspect of their lives both professionally and personally, nurses need to be mindful at all times when engaging on social media platforms. It’s understandable that you may want to build your own brand by creating on online presence surrounding your career, but you must be careful when doing this.

My top tips include:

DO:
Know and understand in their entirety the social media policies at your place of work.
Blog about the nursing industry as a whole without specific details naming people or places.
Become a content contributor for a healthcare website (hey – that’s me!)
Use Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to promote healthy lifestyles and create conversations about health related issues. #nurselife

DON’T:
Share a photo of a patient. Never, ever! It violates the patient’s privacy and confidentiality.
Make negative or demeaning remarks about a patient.
Discuss patients’ records, health information, or situations – even without their names.
Complain about a boss, employer, or coworker.

Some great articles that can help you navigate what you should and should not be tweeting, posting and gramming:

• How Nurses Should Be Using Social Media from everynurse.org click here.
• Social Media Guidelines for Nurses from National Council of State Boards of Nursing (@NCSBN) click here.
• How to Avoid the Pitfalls of Social Media from American Nurse Today (@AmerNurse2Day) click here.
• Principles for Social Networking and the Nurse from the American Nurses Association (@ANANursingWorld) click here.

Patients must be able to trust their nurses. The whole foundation of the patient-nurse relationship is built upon this loyalty. Patients are at their most vulnerable when seeking treatment at a clinic or hospital. You never want to violate a patient’s trust by misusing a social media platform. In addition, it is quite possible that it is breaking state and/or federal laws. Remember once you post something – it is out there for the universe to see. Screenshots make even deleted posts live on forever. This is Nurse Lauren signing off with some Social Media Do’s and Don’ts for all nurses.