Facebook and employers/school

Published

So I was wondering if you delete your Facebook can employers or schools still be able to see it? I know they have their own system. Is it ok to have a personal Facebook while in nursing school or is that unprofessional ?

thanks !!

Specializes in SIV/VMER Nurse [Portugal], SubAcute [US].

I like allnurses better than facebook! I don't post negative personal things that could be judged for. A selfie once in a while for me but I never had a beer it in, lol. Not a good idea

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, trauma.
Social media can cause problems with employers if you violate HIPPA or terms of your employment contract. You need to know what those are. For example, at one of the hospitals where I work, we had to sign a contract stating we would not post pictures of ourselves in our work uniforms, on our units at work, or with our badges on. I signed that piece of paper, so I absolutely adhere to it. My coworkers, however, seem to forget they signed it and post pictures from work all the time. *shrug* That's the risk they're willing to take, not my problem. They can be terminated for it, though. It said it right there on that little piece of paper we signed.

I make it a policy to never talk about work on social media, or if I do, to be super duper vague and only say positive things. If you google, there are tons of stories out there about nurses using social media unwisely and getting fired for it (like the ICU nurse who posted on FB while at work that she was "bored" and wanted somebody to "code or something").

If you're REALLY concerned, there are services that can "scrub" your social media image for a fee. Yes, they exist. If you do a google search, you will get several hits. They can "clean up" your image and make it search-engine and social media friendly from an employer perspective. So there's always that option if you're really concerned and have the means to pay.

That would be so hard for me. Obviously i never take pictures on the unit but just yesterday i took a picture in my scrubs before work saying what i good hair day i was having! :o

thankfully all our social media policy entails is dont post hippa related things on it

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Because it's my Instagram and I can do what I want with it

Nevermind

Up Vote Up Vote ×
That would be so hard for me. Obviously i never take pictures on the unit but just yesterday i took a picture in my scrubs before work saying what i good hair day i was having! :o

thankfully all our social media policy entails is dont post hippa related things on it

Yeah, apparently it's not very common. Figure1 wanted a picture of my badge to verify that I'm an RN, and I wouldn't give it to them for this very reason. Sorry dude, I signed a contract, not gonna breach it for something so small. The admin at Figure1 said she'd never heard of such a thing. I guess my hospital is weird. Haha.
Up Vote Up Vote ×
My professor's husband was a pretty high up manager and once came to speak to my class when i was in nursing school. Someone asked him a question like this and he basically responded by saying: Is drinking alcohol illegal? If i ever look up social media sites and see a picture of a prospective employee drinking in a picture, i could care less. Now, if every single post of you is of you drinking and going out it may make me start to wonder if you will have any issues that will effect your job.

That's the perspective of one person. The thing is, people in the position to hire have all kinds of biases about behavior of individuals outside of the work environment. The person evaluating YOU for your dream job may have an entirely different values system that that guy. If you've got 20 offers, yeah, you can afford to offend a couple of hiring managers. However, that's not the norm, especially these days, especially for new grads.

It's just not smart to put too much of your personal life on the internet. I don't care about your privacy settings, this kind of stuff can and DOES get out with alarming regularity.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).

I have a face book account a which is designated for friends and family only. I am a sober alcoholic and haven't had a drink since October 2004. Still I have seen pages of friends and Instagram of people partying and quite frankly even when I know the person quite well such pictures can scew someone's perception.

In my case I belong to several gardening, homesteading and disaster preparedness groups but try even among family and friends to keep the rhetoric down to a minimum and even though I don't own an assault rifle - I wouldn't post a picture of myself with one if I did.

That being said there's a big difference between a picture of yourself with friends enjoying a beer at the river and a picture of yourself drunk and sloppy.

Hppy

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Because it's my Instagram and I can do what I want with it

What you can do, what you can do without consequence, and what you SHOULD be able to do without consequence are all different debates.

You can do what you like on your social media, but schools and employers can interpret it how they like. You are free to post photos of yourself living it up, but the reality is that it may have consequences.

If you want to mask your previous internet profiles, I'd at least change the names on them if not inactivate/delete them. Once something is on the internet, it's on the internet forever, but that doesn't mean everyone who feels like looking you up can go find it. It's not likely that after you inactivate an account that anyone could or would go to the effort of digging it up again.

If your college hasn't already given you The Talk: you also need to be very, very careful what you post regarding work or school, ESPECIALLY if you use your real name and their name. If you post any details or opinions about patients, classmates, instructors, or coworkers, you open yourself up to a world of hurt. My last employer was a big network and they have employees who specifically search public profiles on the internet to make sure employees are toeing the line when it comes to talking about them.

I have a FaceBook account that is under a pseudonym, no content visible except to my "friends", and I never "friend" someone who is a current coworker. Even so, I post very little about work. It's just not worth the risk. If you wouldn't show it to an instructor or teacher, you probably don't want it online.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Yeah, apparently it's not very common. Figure1 wanted a picture of my badge to verify that I'm an RN, and I wouldn't give it to them for this very reason. Sorry dude, I signed a contract, not gonna breach it for something so small. The admin at Figure1 said she'd never heard of such a thing. I guess my hospital is weird. Haha.

I'm not familiar with Figure1, but it kind of creeps me out that a company would ask for an employee badge and not licensing information.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I'm not familiar with Figure1, but it kind of creeps me out that a company would ask for an employee badge and not licensing information.
It's apparently popular here, I didn't know until I saw a thread somewhere (can't remember where, sorry) mentioning it and several posters chimed in with how much they love it. Maybe it was a thread about apps for nurses? Anyway, yes I agree it's creepy and link if you're curious: Figure 1 | Medical Cases
Up Vote Up Vote ×
My last employer was a big network and they have employees who specifically search public profiles on the internet to make sure employees are toeing the line when it comes to talking about them.
I wanted to specifically address this point. This right here is one of the many reasons why I also don't ever ever EVER list where I'm employed on my FB profile. No way, no how. I do NOT want to be that easily linked/found/tracked. I know for a fact that there are nurses at my last hospital who surf employee FB pages and report back to administration. Hence the other reason that friending coworkers is a no-no for me as well. No thank you.
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Because it's my Instagram and I can do what I want with it

Now here is a very immature post that may make future employers question whether they want to hire you.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I'm not familiar with Figure1, but it kind of creeps me out that a company would ask for an employee badge and not licensing information.

It's like Instagram for medical professionals. You have to prove that you're a student/doctor/nurse/tech/etc, before you're allowed to comment or follow cases (I did so via my school's email address). It's a really interesting app that I've learned a lot from.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion