BE CAREFUL on social networks

Nurses General Nursing

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There was another recent posting - thread now closed - by a nurse who got in trouble over a Facebook posting. I have some direct experience with this - as a union steward - and a fair amount of second hand knowledge. Here are a few basic things to keep in mind:

1. Your Facebook "friends" may very well not be your actual friends - in every case that I've dealt with, management became aware of the offending posting when a "friend" of the poster brought it to their attention. And your privacy settings are no protection.

2. You do not have rights of "free speech" related to your work - the First Amendment protects you against the government intruding on your free speech rights - it says nothing about your employer.

3. If you are not covered by a union contract, in most parts of the US you are an at will employee and can be fired for any reason or no reason - except for a very small number of protected reasons like your age or race.

4. If you post something that would make anyone reading it think they might not get good care at your hospital, that would almost always be a legitimate reason for action against you. Here are a few real life examples: "We were so understaffed it was scary" or "If another person comes into the ER just to get narcs, I might punch them out" or "I got so frustrated with one patient I wanted to take her call light away".

Yeah, we've all had feelings like that, and we might say them to a real friend face to face - but posting them online for all to see - and, no matter what your privacy settings are, it really is for all to see - is just foolish. Save those rants for your truly private conversations.

One last note: Labor law does protect concerted activity. So if your union has a Facebook page and you were having a discussion there about how to improve staffing at your hospital, a negative comment on staffing in that context would likely be protected by law - but the exact same comment in the context of just a general rant likely would not be.

So, be careful, be smart, don't cause yourself unneeded trouble for silly reasons.

Specializes in Med/surg, Quality & Risk.
Do people seriously do this? For the love of Benji...

YES!! And my manager told someone it was okay because "he's not a patient anymore." OMG really?

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

That's why I never post anything about work...and if I do, never anything that I wouldn't feel comfortable saying directly to my manager's face.

And yes, the government does protect our right to freedom of speech. However, the government isn't obligated to protect us from the consequences of shooting our mouths off about our jobs.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

One would always benefit to remember that while the government protects the right to free speech, it does not guarantee that the right to free speech comes without consequences.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.
I remember awhile back a girl I went to school with posted a picture of a placenta from her clinicals on facebook. The instructor got wind of it and she was kicked out of the program - ouch 3 years gone.

I think they let her back in the program after she filed a lawsuit. But I think that between the placenta photos and the lawsuit, she's probably not having going to have an easy time finding a job...especially since she has a unique first name--Google would pull all the info right up in the first few search results.

I know if an applicant came to me with that name, the first thought in my mind would be, "oh, it's the placenta chick" And that doesn't cast her in a favorable light :/

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Specializes in Oncology.
And as a final reminder, do not ever, ever post where it is you work under your "information".....

I don't see a problem with this. Everyone I am friends with on Facebook knows where I work. It's not a secret.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
I don't see a problem with this. Everyone I am friends with on Facebook knows where I work. It's not a secret.

By posting your place of employment...you are representing them as their agent and therefore will be held accountable by the confidentiality agreement you signed when you got hired. ANYTHING you say will be considered a representative of the company while not on duty which can be a violation of the agreement itself depending on how it's worded.

And get you fired.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
I think they let her back in the program after she filed a lawsuit. But I think that between the placenta photos and the lawsuit, she's probably not having going to have an easy time finding a job...especially since she has a unique first name--Google would pull all the info right up in the first few search results.

I know if an applicant came to me with that name, the first thought in my mind would be, "oh, it's the placenta chick" And that doesn't cast her in a favorable light :/

They did...she won the lawsuit. The instructor gave permission and the school's social media policy was non existent as best.....Placenta Photo Gets Kansas Nursing Students Expelled | Fox News

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I cannot believe what people put in Facebook, it's like everyone forgot their filter. I no longer have one because Facebook seems to cause problems for many people and I would rather just steer clear.

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Specializes in Med-Surg/urology.

I usually make it a point to "friend" certain co-workers I enjoyed working with AFTER I leave the job. And I never talk about my jobs, past or present. Little things like this will keep you out of trouble!!

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That's why I never post anything about work...and if I do, never anything that I wouldn't feel comfortable saying directly to my manager's face.

And yes, the government does protect our right to freedom of speech. However, the government isn't obligated to protect us from the consequences of shooting our mouths off about our jobs.

Again, to clarify: your constitutional rights of free speech are vis-à-vis government action. Not anything your employer might do. There have been a number of well publicized cases in the last year of employers firing people for having a bumper sticker for the wrong candidate on their car - and, unless your state has a law to the contrary, or you are covered by a union contract, it is perfectly legal for them to do so. Hospitals wouldn't go that far, but if they think what you say in a public forum reflects negatively on them, expect problems.

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Specializes in Orthopedic, LTC, STR, Med-Surg, Tele.

My golden rule is not to talk about work (or my personal life) on Facebook. I have plenty of friends from work on Facebook though and I can think of one person who complained about the docs on our floor on FB and got suspended. Not to mention the drama from passive-aggressive Facebook comments.

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Most places now, especially those run by corporations or health systems, have a social media policy. I recommend everyone with a FB account check their employer's policy. I have a FB account, and after reading my system's policy during new hire orientation, I made sure my account was in line with it. Our policy states that if you list your employer, you are acting as a representative of the system, and they may monitor your account.

So of course, I don't list where I work, I NEVER friend coworkers or even former coworkers, and I don't talk about work unless it's to say something like, "What a productive day! I feel like I accomplished so much and feel satisfied about my job!" Which means I never post about work :cheeky:.

If my employer wants to monitor my FB, all they'll see is pictures of my kid and my dogs, the occasional joke or "witty" observation, and clear evidence of my inherent dorkiness. I don't think they'd fire me for being a dork.

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