What Is An Appropriate Social Media Presence As Healthcare Providers? How Far Is Too Far?
As part of my MHST601 course, we had to perform an audit on our social media presence. I quickly realized mine was fairly non-existent. I took this opportunity to create a Twitter (now X) account and I've been creating this ePortfolio to showcase various aspects of my professional identity. This module as well as different forum discussions with the class brought me to the question.. how far is too far when sharing online?
I believe as healthcare professionals, we have to be vigilant with our social media presence. We should strive to ensure that the information we are sharing is credible, as many people look to providers for information and decision making. I think we can all agree that more recently, the Covid era highlighted the importance of sharing credible information. The dissemination of information via social media can be so quick and this can cause issues if not used appropriately.
For nurses in Ontario, the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) established a Code of Conduct. “To maintain public trust and confidence in the nursing profession’s integrity and care, the Code outlines safe and ethical practice requirements based on current evidence” (College of Nurses of Ontario, 2019, p.3). The Code of Conduct includes that even on social media, nurses must remain professional and show respect for others. RNs must also adhere to our many practice standards set by the CNO, which include the protection of privacy and patient confidentiality, practicing within our scope, and promoting the therapeutic nurse patient relationship (CNO,n.d.).
I believe that social media accounts for health care providers via LinkedIn, Twitter, or other blogs are appropriate if we adhere to these standards set by our governing bodies and our own workplaces. If properly utilized it can be a great way to share educational content, and network with other professionals.
References
College of Nurses of Ontario. (2019, February). Code of Conduct.
College of Nurses of Ontario. (n.d.). Standards & Guidelines. Retrieved September 15, 2023, from https://www.cno.org/en/learn-about-standards-guidelines/standards-and-
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