Social Media Use in the Nursing Profession Essay

Social Media Use in the Nursing Profession Essay

Inappropriate Posts and Conversations

Social media has played an important role in the nursing profession as it creates a platform on which nurses can share their professional experiences (Westrick, 2016). However, the same platforms can be the sources of problematic issues for the professionals should the content they put out pose a risk to patients or is misinterpreted by the public (Ross et al., 2017). For example, I once had a conversation on Facebook I which I discussed how to use pain relieving tablets, where I stated that such medication may make one relax and therefore reduce physical suffering.

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The post was inappropriately interpreted by some of followers who thought that it advocated for use of psychedelics to relieve pain. This post could be considered inappropriate based on the professional standard for nursing as it would have been viewed as representation of the employer and the nursing body at large. In addition, such statement can be considered non-professional due to disclosing medical information to the public who could wrongly use the information shared (Westrick, 2016). It could also mean that the opinion that was posted on the social media represent the position of my employer and the profession at large, thus causing more harm not only to the individuals involved but also to other parties such as the employer.

Nurses’ Responsibility to Uphold Standard of Conduct

Nurses have a responsibility to uphold the standard of conduct both at professional and personal levels because it helps to ensure that the nursing profession maintains competent practices. According Jackon et al. (2018), the competency level of a nurse is illustrated not only by the professional performance but also by personal responsibility which can be evaluated by the level of professionalism on the social media space.

Personal conduct, especially that demonstrated on social media, can be considered unethical if it poses a threat to the private information of a patient, uses abusive, offensive and derogatory language, or reflects complains about places of employment (De Gagne et al., 2018). For example, if a nurse posts a comment of social media with a photograph of a patient, it violates the HIPAA privacy rule. Upholding professional conduct at personal level and social media ensures that the nurses represent their employers and institutions positively. It is therefore necessary to ensure that nurses understand how their personal preference may affect the attitude towards their profession.