Are you Facebook friends with your coworkers?

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It seems it's the norm on my unit that nurses are also in touch through social media. It has always been my intention to keep my work and private life separate. However I am finding I have more in common with the other nurses than my friends I grew up with (who I seem to be outgrowing) so I have been considering bending my rule for a handful of nurses.

What are your thoughts on this? Are you connected with coworkers on social media?

Specializes in Ambulatory Care-Family Medicine.

I am with a few. My rule is I am so only friends with coworkers on Facebook that I am friends with in real life and actually talk to outside of work. I also don't post a lot on Facebook anyway, mostly share cute pictures or major life events like when I bought my first house etc.

Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg, Psych, Geri, LTC, Tele,.

Speaking of social media problems, I recall that when I started my last position, there were cliques. Like, different groups of friends.

After being there awhile, the people working there told me that the reason they don't like one nurse is because she posts on FB about using drugs while clubbing.

I never noticed anything odd/off about her. In fact, I learned a lot from her and we kinda became friends. She definitely became a coworker I worked well with.

I have no idea if the info I was told About her FB was true. But I learned from that NOT to be FB friends with coworkers.

People like to gossip. Social media makes it easier.

Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

I used to have a strict policy against it, and had no problems when I explained that I kept it strictly personal, family only. Then when I was out with the big C for nearly a year, it was a way to stay in contact with coworkers, and truly received a lot of support.

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