Do nurses have a responsibility to keep their Facebook professional?

[Bortaz]

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?

[buytheshoes11, MSN, RN]

My account is private but I still don't risk posting ridiculous things on my account. I like Facebook for keeping in touch with friends. Some things are better left to phone conversations and face-to-face chats.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

It's not a responsibility.. it's common sense.

[redhead_NURSE98!, ADN, BSN]

I agree. The days we live in now of social networking can play a big part of how you are evaluated as a nurse. For example - nurse posts on FB/twitter getting wasted, up all night partying - works the next day, major patient care error - is that something that can be looked at in court? Do you think that might be pulled to show why the nurse could possibly have made the error ( hung over, tired, possibly still under the effects of alcohol ...)

This is a problem. I have a FB friend who makes jokes about texting and driving to be funny i.e. "Can't these people see I'm trying to text here? All the horn honking isn't necessary" and I pray she doesn't get in a wreck where someone is injured.

[sharpeimom]

i wouldn't have work-related information on my fb site. i have an account mostly to make it easier to stay up-to-date with family members of both mine and my husband's. friends on my fb acct. range in age from my 91 year old auntie down to some young cousins who are just barely old enough for fb accounts of their own, to some friends and neighbors.

i feel i have to be really careful what i post because the kids will see it and that isn't being a good example.

aside from that, my mom's twin would give me if there were ever anything blue on my fb account.

fb makes it easier for the mothers of babies and toddlers to keep my spread out all over the country family updated, and

to share pictures and whatever with the rest of us. but adult-rated? not professional or adult behavior.

[sealford]

I *never* friend co-workers.....well, one exception (she and I were NS classmates and now work on the same floor). My posts are either family or old friend stuff, silly stuff or, much to many a person's chagrin - political.

I have insisted that my children remove inappropriate stuff from their pages, not only because it reflects badly on them, but because it appears on my page and could reflect poorly on me.

I *do* have my employer listed which is why I am extra cautious. Nothing on my page should reflect poorly on my employer or me as a RN.

Strange thing though......my hubby (US Army) deleted his FB page purely because some officer thought my political posts (highly conservative/republican) could be considered "seditious" and hurt hubby's career! Really?!? Wow. So being against the current Pres (aka: Commmander-in-Chief) and supporting his challenger is "seditious"?! Gotta love the "extremes" of politics these days. So much for the first amendment.

If you are extreme, then so am I.:) I'm not a huge fan of the pResident either (and no, that "R" was not a typo.) My friends probably get tired of all of the political stuff that I post as well, but they can assert their rights and not read it (they can unfriend me).

[sharpeimom]

another reason i have a fairly g-rated fb account is because i'm the designated account watcher for two of the

younger cousins. they're 14 and 15 and since having your parent check your fb page would be humiliating, to say the very least, guess who got the job?

i've had a couple of f bomb-type posts removed from their pages and feel that if these kids will have access to my page, it absolutely must be safe for them.

maybe i'm the old fart (fartess?) at the party? who knows?

[2BRN123]

Facebook is a time sucking spam box. Just delete it and you won't have to be exposed to other people's meaningless idiocy.

[anotherone, BSN, RN]

I don't have a facebook or any other such thing. . What I hate is when other people post pictures of me on their facebook. I don't have any pictures out there of me falling over drunk in bars or topless but I still hate it for some reason. I mean normal pictures. lol . I almost never let people take a picture with me in it.

[anotherone, BSN, RN]

People keep yelling "freeeeeeeeedoooooooooooooooom!" and "Wolverinessssssssssssssssss!", but they always leave off the part about freedom requiring responsibility. You, as a nurse, have the right to get drunk and screw around all you want. No one (well, not me at least) is questioning your rights to do as you please. But with those rights comes the need for acting responsibly. If you're posting boob shots and pic of you puking up your Margarita...and have your employer listed on the site...you're setting yourself up for a crisis of your own making.

I don't go to my friend's page looking for this stuff. It's right there on my wall because they chose to share it. The minute you choose to share something, it's no longer private information. That nurse dropping F-bombs about our manager never even considered that I could ruin her life by simply hitting the "share" link under her post on my wall. Then the other 30 coworkers from our hospital that are on my friends list would see it....what are the chances that at least one of them is either 1. A snitch or 2. Friends with the manager, and would immediately show it to them?

Puking up a margarita while IN your scrubs in the break room is one thing but so what do boob shots have to do with being a nurse. NOTHING. much ado about nothing in my opinion. Too many people want to shove there views/useless opinons and morals down everyone else's throats.

[Bortaz, MSN, RN]

NOTHING. much ado about nothing in my opinion. Too many people want to shove there views/useless opinons and morals down everyone else's throats.

Pot, I'd like you to meet Kettle.

[pockunit, ADN, RN]

Also, has anyone noticed that there are more folks here at AN using their actual picture as their avatar?

I see this mostly with the younger nurses/students/CNAs, etc. and I think it's dangerous!

I sure wouldn't complain about school politics and horrible instructors with my picture tied to my post!

I think it may be a degree of blurred boundaries, insensitivity to exposure and a dash of vanity.

But I'm just so damned good looking!

[Bortaz, MSN, RN]

best looking honey badger I've ever seen.