Do nurses have a responsibility to keep their Facebook professional?

Nurses Professionalism

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I am "Facebook friends" with a large number of my nursing peers. I am often quite surprised at the behavior I see exhibited by them in so public a place.

I see:

1. Lots and lots of foul language/inappropriate pics, etc.

2. Lots and lots of "oh, man, I'm so wasted right now...bout to go to the next bar!!!"

3. Lots and lots of TMI about relationships, affairs, drunkeness, fights, whatever.

On their FB profile, they have it proudly posted that they are "Registered Nurse at So-and-so Hospital", or "Proud PEDI Nurse!" or "School nurse at Ur Dum Akadimy".

I cringe sometimes when I see some of this stuff, and think to myself "what would their employer think?" or, "Hope they're not interviewing soon with a computer-adept manager".

I try to keep my social media as clean as I can, and don't flaunt any of my bad habits for the world to see.

But, what do you think? Do nurses have a responsibility to maintain a professional demeanor on their (supposedly) private social media sites?

Another possibility: Am I an old fart?

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

i wouldn't want people to get the wrong impression of me based on my facebook page.

seems to me it has nothing to do with being a nurse but everything to do with being a classy person.

exactly. it has nothing to do with being a nurse, but everything to do with being classy.

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Specializes in Med/surg, Quality & Risk.
Why do fools use their real names on Facebook? It's all gonna' come back to you.

Just following the site's rules.

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Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.

I have several of my former nursing school instructors as friends on FB. I wonder what they think about some of the things they see my classmates post.

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Specializes in CICU.
I have several of my former nursing school instructors as friends on FB. I wonder what they think about some of the things they see my classmates post.

I suspect they are not surprised...

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Specializes in ER & ICU.

Well this post went viral lol

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Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.

It's because I'm very popular and a trendsetter.

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Specializes in CICU.
It's because I'm very popular and a trendsetter.

How is the profile view count going?

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Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.

Oh, I forgot about that! Lemme check!

Your page had 4,174 visits so far.

Ha!

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Facebook friends should include like minds. Which does not include anyone from your job or that has any association. My personal life is private. My page is locked and my posts are not shown. Many times employees have tooled around the internet and tried to "friend" me. When asked why I didn't add them, I tell them the truth. "I'm not interested in opening up my personal life or anyone in my circle to the people I work with." The only thing someone can see is a picture of my face. No posts, comments or what have you.

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Specializes in Operating Room.

It's a social media and if they are comfortable posting their thoughts knowing co-workers, family and friends will see it then it's a decision that they decided or allowed to be made public. It may not be appropriate to some of us but if what they are posting is not work related what they do on their private time should not affect their work life. If you are not comfortable with their posts just unfriend them...I have had to delete several people from my social media site due to uncomfortable or constant negative posts of my co-workers. Social media is just a way for people to reach out and of course express themselves through their posts so most of the time they don't censor their thoughts.

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yes. And don't list where you work or details that make your workplace identifiable.

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Specializes in critical care, Med-Surg.
I have to say I feel very different about this topic than most responses here. I have always believed, nursing school included, that what you do in your own private life, so long as you don't show up to work under the influence, is absolutely uncategorically your own and no one else's business. Provided you aren't using social media to "friend" patients or their family members, or posting privleged/confidential client/employer data on social media, than what you do with it should be entirely up to you. If someone wants to think they can judge how professional an employee is based on what he or she does in his or private time, I think that says more about the person snooping and judging than it does about the investigated nurse.

I find nurses to be a very self-righteous group of professionals. We are nasty and judge each other far more than physicians do same.

Unfortunately, Big Brother is watching. And in this age, eyes and ears are everywhere!

I respectfully disagree with your statement that nurses are self-righteous. (that very statement is judgemental.) People are people, and there are self righteous, nasty, judgemental people in ALL professions.

Employers are (rightfully) concerned about the conduct of their employees outside of work. It speaks to morality. Issues of judgement. Integrity. And what you do on your own time may very well be used to PREDICT what you may do on employer's time.

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