Nurses as influencers: Extending professionalism into the world of social media

Nearly half of the world’s population uses social media in a single form or one other, which has led to a rise within the number of individuals creating personal content that presents their very own standpoint (Vukušić Rukavina et al., 2021). Nurses have gotten increasingly energetic on this planet of social media as influencers; some are seen as trusted professionals who can provide an antidote to medical misinformation, while others are seen as purely entertaining. In reality, nurses may be each informative and entertaining, but we must do not forget that nursing is one of the vital trusted professions on this planet and we must remain skilled on this relatively latest role.

The advantages of nurses as social media influencers

There are numerous advantages to having an audience of social media followers, but there are some caveats. Our professionalism is demonstrated by reliability, education and dissemination of data, in addition to correcting disinformation. Influencers may be viewed as a source of accurate information for the general public and other nurses. Social media can fill some gaps, bypass among the conventional barriers present in health care information, and reach colleagues who may not have the strongest networks (Gentry & Prince-Paul, 2020; Bautista, Zhang, & Gwizdka, 2021).

Nurses’ role as social influencers also can combat medical misinformation through evidence-based education that may be directed to other nurses or most of the people. Social media transmits information at a rapid pace, with images and data going viral inside hours. This will work to our advantage as nurses, nevertheless it also has drawbacks (Bautista, Zhang, and Gwizdka, 2021).

Cautions from nurses as social media influencers

The high visibility related to social media also signifies that nurse influencers must understand that their audience is probably going not limited to healthcare providers, but additionally laypeople who may misunderstand things like satire – which could be a type of misinformation. Other unprofessional behaviors, akin to bullying and blurring skilled boundaries during presentations, may detract from the positive advantages nurses can gain as influencers. Such behavior may end in lack of credibility and even legal/disciplinary consequences. Moreover, there may be a certain ethical (and legal) responsibility to offer the general public with accurate medical information.

One example is a grievance filed in October 2022 involving a California nurse with a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree who identified herself as “Dr. Sarah” on social media, nevertheless it wasn’t at all times clear that she was a complicated practice registered nurse and never a health care provider. She was fined $19,750 for ambiguity and violation of the California Business and Professions Code (Book, 2022).

Follow your institution’s social media policy

Many healthcare systems have strict social media policies designed to guard patients’ interests and privacy. Some common examples of restrictions include excluding the name of the ability where the nurse works, obscuring/removing identifiers with known trademarks, prohibiting photos of the ability, and identifying nurses’ employers in profiles. After all, discussing confidential incidents or protected health information under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) would likely end in civil and legal consequences. Protected health information (PHI) is any information that’s detailed enough to potentially discover a patient, akin to the case of a pediatric ICU/ER nurse at Texas Kid’s Hospital who posted several comments a few rare case of measles. Information in her profile identifying her, her employer, and her position on the hospital, combined with the rarity of the disease, allowed this patient to be identified. 4 days later, Texas Kid’s Hospital suspended and fired a nurse for violating HIPAA (Alder, 2018).

Discretion and digital professionalism

Discretion is paramount at any time when a nurse presents herself in her nursing role. Practical jokes which may be funny to some nurses could also be poorly received by others and will result in an overall perception of nursing as unprofessional, uncaring or immature. They will even cause irreparable harm to the people involved or the ability where the incident occurred in the event that they may be identified.

Social media has advantages, but ought to be used fastidiously to take care of the integrity of healthcare staff, including nurses. Unfortunately, the wrongful actions of a couple of have ruined the skilled identity of many. Now comes the concept of digital professionalism, which is becoming increasingly essential within the ever-evolving world of social media. Social media influencers, especially those within the healthcare industry, need to recollect to attach with a changing audience that sees them as professionals. Reputations may be easily damaged by misinformation or unprofessional behavior. It has taken many many years for nursing to develop into one of the vital trusted and revered professions, and a careless post could reveal this progress in a single viral video (Guraaya, Guraya, & Yusoff, 2021).

Tips about the best way to maintain your skilled identity on social media

If you should post on social media as a nursing representative, the next information can enable you to maintain your skilled identity:

• The Web is ceaselessly. Make sure that your content is what you wish it to be.
• There are sometimes details that assist you to discover the ability or patient. Even omitting a reputation doesn’t protect the identity of an individual affected by a rare disease or condition.
• . This is significant in case your opinion or judgment is questioned.
• Failure to follow these rules may result in disciplinary or legal problems.
• If unsure, don’t post!

Alder, S. (2018, September 13). Texas nurse fired for violating HIPAA on social media. HIPAA Journal. https://www.hipaajournal.com/texas-nurse-fired-for-social-media-hipaa-violation/

Bautista, J. R., Zhang, Y., and Gwizdka, J. (2021). Motivations, barriers, and suggestions of US physicians and nurses for correcting health misinformation on social media: A qualitative interview study. , (9), e27715. https://doi.org/10.2196/27715

Book, C. (2022, November 23). Nurse Practitioner (DNP) fined $19,000 dollars for calling yourself “Dr. Sarah.” Nurse.org. https://nurse.org/articles/nurse-practitioner-fined-for-calling-self-doctor/

Gentry, H. and Prince-Paul, M. (2021). The influential nurse: Concept synthesis and evaluation. , (1), 181–187. https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12516

Guraya, S. S., Guraya, S. Y., & Yusoff, M. S. B. (2021). Maintaining skilled identity, behaviors and values ​​throughout the framework of digital professionalism using social networking sites; systematic review. BMC Medical Education, 21(1), 381. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-021-02802-9

Vukušić Rukavina, T., Viskić, J., Machala Poplašen, L., Relić, D., Marelić, M., Jokic, D., and Sedak, K. (2021). The risks and advantages of social media for healthcare professionals’ e-professionalism: A scoping review. , (11), e25770. https://doi.org/10.2196/25770