This topic has been discussed throughout many threads but I wanted to designate a single thread to this issue. I am a Facebook junkie just like many people from my generation.
I would never post anything patient related or anything that would breach HIPAA. I posted a very tongue-in-cheek status about the daily struggles of nursing (such as drug seeking patients, non-compliant patients, and the patients with a grand sense of entitlement to name a few).
It was meant to be sarcastic and humorous. Well, long story short, HR got a hold of it and almost fired me for it. They said it made me look like a cold, callous nurse and that doesn't sit well with their core values as a facility.
My point of this thread is to be extremely careful about what you post on the internet. My page was as private as it could be but they managed to view it through a "friend's" page.
Luckily, I was able to keep my job and learned a valuable lesson. Don't post work related ANYTHING on your social networking sites.
You may be also living in the dark, if you think Allnurses is a safer place to rant than Facebook.....bottom line is we went into this profession to care for patients. If your personality requires you to post about how they get on your nerves on facebook, you might want to consider another profession. A good rule is to leave work at work and pick it back up when arrive for your next shift.
I'm not a nurse yet but I plan on never ranting on facebook. Even at my previous job as a bank teller if I had an exceptionally bad day I never posted it as a status....too many co-workers are fbook friends and could rat you out! Seems so silly to lose a job over a facebook status but I understand how it can be seen as unprofessional when representing a hospital or yourself as a nurse!
Specializes in Emergency Room, Specialty Infusions.
You may be also living in the dark, if you think Allnurses is a safer place to rant than Facebook.....bottom line is we went into this profession to care for patients. If your personality requires you to post about how they get on your nerves on facebook, you might want to consider another profession. A good rule is to leave work at work and pick it back up when arrive for your next shift.
I don't have any people from work on Facebook. That may or may not save me. I never get specific on Facebook with my family that I do rant to. Example: "Another night in Hell, but motrin will help the aches and pains." My family and close friends are thousands of miles away. It is one of the easiest ways to communicate with them. I don't have the luxury of quitting the worse job I have had in 36 years. My co-workers tell lme it's just as bad if I go anywhere else. In my department alone, two nurses under the age of 50 and a month apart had heart attacks. Nurses are on the verge of tears nightly and threatening to quit. My nursing shoe is a size 8 1/2 DDD.....even though my foot is only an 8 B width. Have to accomodate the swelling that running back and forth 12 hours non-stop, will bring on.
This is me ranting.........have I given too much away? That would cost me my job? Dunno, probably. And it is only a HINT of how bad it is.
Why oh why are we so hard on each other? United we stand and divided we fall.....and I have always, always seen nursing divided.
I would find another job and quit that one. Your facebook is your private life.... Unless you posted up that you hate working at your crappy hospital "yourtown medical center" because all of the managers are crappy.... as long as you dont name names or places I do not see the problem.
I guess I have been in the tech world fo quite a while now... I used to be on IRC when it first came out in the mid 90s. If your not doing it on works time or slamming your work directly then stay outta my business....
I agree Facebook is not the place to vent....I'm really sorry that happened to you! My fiance has a strict policy he will not be "friends" with anyone from work on facebook, he says it's dangerous!!
Specializes in ICU, PIC, BURN UNIT, PEDS, MED SURG, PSY.
Are nurses the only ones without "free speech" and who does it benefit? It's in place so we don't ruin any institutions PR, or so the business of medicine can't be sued. But where does it leave us as far as reaching out for support, as far as sharing experiences etc. Seems to me that if another country tried this, we would say it wasn't a democracy. I've read that nurses have been fired for posting on Facebook, but I haven't seen a doctor fired. What is the American Nurses Association's position on this if names and places are disguised? I know books are able to be written, because I've written several, as long as you put in a disclaimer. Maybe we should all just say, "the people and places in this example are ficticious etc." On what grounds are nurses being fired? I think we should have some legal counsel where they'd have to prove intent. Otherwise it's just another means of oppression on nurses. We need to have the reason for the policy, not just another way to keep us powerless.
Specializes in Emergency Room, Specialty Infusions.
Are nurses the only ones without "free speech" and who does it benefit? It's in place so we don't ruin any institutions PR, or so the business of medicine can't be sued. But where does it leave us as far as reaching out for support, as far as sharing experiences etc. Seems to me that if another country tried this, we would say it wasn't a democracy. I've read that nurses have been fired for posting on Facebook, but I haven't seen a doctor fired. What is the American Nurses Association's position on this if names and places are disguised? I know books are able to be written, because I've written several, as long as you put in a disclaimer. Maybe we should all just say, "the people and places in this example are ficticious etc." On what grounds are nurses being fired? I think we should have some legal counsel where they'd have to prove intent. Otherwise it's just another means of oppression on nurses. We need to have the reason for the policy, not just another way to keep us powerless.
:bowingpur Wow....amazing. Well said!!
Thank you, I will remember that disclaimer, but I bet if it came right down to it, I don't think it would save my "A" double s.
I have facebook acct., my daughter set it up as a way for us to pass pics of the grandsons. I rarely write anything on it, I have friends who can go on and write if they want, but, mostly it's just for pics. Never wrote/write anything personal I didn't want the rest of the world to know about. And NEVER have or will write anything about work other than sympathy to co-workers (past & present) for losses or congrats for birthdays, births, graduations etc... Face book is usefull if you keep in mind that it is like the old fashion newspapers, what you tell them, you tell the world.
My point of this thread is to be extremely careful about what you post on the internet. My page was as private as it could be but they managed to view it through a "friend's" page.
Luckily, I was able to keep my job and learned a valuable lesson. Don't post work related ANYTHING on your social networking sites.
I'm so glad you learned without losing your job. I've said this over and over: NOTHING you post on the internet is private.
Facebook particularly is not as it is one of the first places employers are scanning for what they deem as 'risks' or risky employees doing things that may create a real or potential liability for them.
I believe internet Social media is just NOT the place to talk about anything work related ; I also would pick connections /friends very carefully and think real carefully about work peers no matter how much you may like them.
I don't even have a facebook account anymore.
Interestingly I saw in CNN today that Facebook is losing millions of Americans in membership. I'm kind of glad given all the headache I've seen it create - not to mention the hours it sucks up when people could be doing things so much more productive . If you really want presence and to be noted and impress your employer, start a professionally oriented blog instead and invite comments.
While you are being very cautious about facebook, I hope that your Allnurses "name is not related to your actual identity. This site is no more secure than any other.
I agree anything you post on the internet can and will be used against you by employers and potential employers.. and more. (I wouldn't join an online diabetic support group if I had type 2 and were going to be getting bids on health insurance premiums either for example.) I wouldn't post anywhere non-professional under my real name but if someone really wants to know the ip address handed by your provider for your session is effectively your personal signature. using 'bologna2011' for a handle doesn't disguise you. while it can dissuade the laymen though just keep in mind anyone who really wants/needs to know can trace you.
another difference is while other sites pages may be accessible publicly, they are typically preetty straightforward in telling you exactly what will be disclose/aggregate. With facebook there's been a lot of blurryness there and they've gotten quite a bit of headline for that. It's obvious really; they have hundreds of millions of members knowing their age, address, interests and dislikes, health, religion, age of your children, marital status, etc etc - it's an aggregate data goldmine.
Before long, there might be the same stories from using this. This doesn't sit well with me, but I'm probably in the minority on this issue, so I'll just go back to my lurker corner.
No kidding! That scares me too. I don't ever post anything that gives a real clear indication of where I work, but what if my boss [or the facility tattletale - you know who you are!] reads a vent post of mine and figures out who wrote it? Could that actually put my job in jeopardy?? I'd be willing to bet it could, if not directly then indirectly by making me a target. Nobody is perfect, so eventually I would break some rule [no matter how minor] and give them an excuse to get rid of me.
sharon.parrish
3 Posts
You may be also living in the dark, if you think Allnurses is a safer place to rant than Facebook.....bottom line is we went into this profession to care for patients. If your personality requires you to post about how they get on your nerves on facebook, you might want to consider another profession. A good rule is to leave work at work and pick it back up when arrive for your next shift.