Trying to determine what makes a social media presence appropriate can be a quite complex and highly debatable subject. There is simply no black and white answer out there to dictate what social media behaviours are “professional” and why. I mean who makes these decisions anyway? There are, however, many guidelines and recommendations surrounding social media use as a nursing professional, set out by various professional bodies in hopes of trying to regulate/guide their members. Despite this, the onus still lays on the individual to decide if he/she is willing to adhere to these guidelines and how they fit in with that individual’s personal morals and values.
The Regulators
The College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) is the governing body for all registered nursing professionals in Ontario, Canada. As a Registered Nurse (RN), it is my professional obligation to obtain and to maintain a nursing license annually through the CNO to be able to practice in any nursing capacity in Ontario. Aside from annual license renewal, registered nurses in Ontario are also expected to complete an annual quality assurance program, to obtain professional liability protection (PLP), as well as to adhere to all practice standards set out by the college. Although the CNO has a duty to regulate the nursing profession, its main goal is to protect the public. As a result, I am also a member of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) which provides me with the CNO required PLP. The RNAO also offers best practice guidelines that nursing professionals (including myself) and nursing students achieve to implement in their practice daily. As an employee of Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS), it is also my duty to adhere to any/all HHS corporate policies, including those related to social media use.
Upon review of these standards/policies, it is quite evident that once you sign on the dotted line and become a member of the CNO, or an employee of HHS, the behaviours that you display in public or online are expected to mimic the mission, vision, and values of these organizations. But what if you do not agree with EVERYTHING that these organizations preach? Does that mean that you must silence your inner voice for fear of repercussions? It certainly seems like it but how ethical is that? A common thread among these guidelines is that if you advertise your credentials online, you should also “keep your opinions to yourself,” well that is if they do not match up with what the organization(s) endorses. Who knew having a social media account would be this stressful?
My Current Position
When thinking about how I would like to exist online, I am somewhere in the middle. As a nursing professional, I value respect, innovation, integrity, caring, education, research, quality, and creativity (to name a few). I want to be respectful to my practice and my employer, but I also want to have the freedom to be creative and to be able to voice my opinion when I am passionate about a topic, especially if it is for the purposes of advocacy and the “greater good.” I do not think it is necessary to delete any of my social media accounts currently, but I am starting to realize the importance of tone and content when posting. Although I may choose to exclude the video displaying the bottles of wine that I was able to consume in one sitting at my bestie’s house in future, my freedom of speech is still particularly important to me, even surrounding sensitive topics.
Dos and Don'ts - 10 Tips to Abide By
I by no means am an expert on professional social media behaviour, but after completing some research, these are some basic guidelines that I would recommend you follow if you are a nursing professional like myself (especially in Ontario) and have no idea where to start. If you live outside of Ontario, I will also highly recommend that you research your own provincial legislation surrounding social media use and the nursing profession.
1. Be mindful of your tone and the message that you are sending.
2. Try to remain unbiased.
3. "Remember to separate opinions from facts". If you want to educate your peers, look to evidence-based research and always check your sources.
7. Be respectful. Remember: "not all conversations are worth participating in and “liking” someone else’s disrespectful comments can be just as harmful as posting them yourself".
10. Do not forget to have fun!
References
International Nurse Regulator Collaborative. (2016). Social media use: Common expectations for nurses.
Retrieved from https://www.cno.org/globalassets/docs/prac/incr-social-media-use-common-
expectations- for-nurses.pdf
Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario. (n.d.). Social media guidelines for nurses. Retrieved from
https://rnao.ca/news/socialmediaguideline
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