NSCBN: Social Media Guidelines for Nurses

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

nurses can positively use electronic social media to share workplace concerns, events that are emotionally charged for support and guidance but must always be mindful of not providing names, explicit details or patient identifiers, including photos, in order to protect patient and nurse privacy. allnurses fully supports these efforts as spelled out in our terms of service.

national council of state boards of nursing

social media guidelines

because of inappropriate use of social media, some nurses have lost their jobs, been disciplined by the board of nursing, been highlighted in national media, been a target of lawsuits, and been criminally charged. what do nurses need to know so that they can use social media, both personally and professionally, without worrying about repercussions?

ncsbn has developed some guidelines for using social media responsibly.

watch ncsbn's new video, social media guidelines for nurses, in which key points of the white paper are summarized, along with dramatization of potential scenarios of inappropriate social media use.

download pdf brochure: a nurse's guide to the use of social media

ncsbn social media guidelines video:

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

from the white paper a nurse's guide to the use of social media

bon implications

instances of inappropriate use of social and electronic media may be reported to the bon. the laws outlining the basis for disciplinary action by a bon vary between jurisdictions. depending on the laws of a jurisdiction, a bon may investigate reports of inappropriate disclosures on social media by a nurse on the grounds of:

• unprofessional conduct;
  
• unethical conduct;
  
• moral turpitude;
  
• mismanagement of patient records;
  
• revealing a privileged communication; and
  
• breach of confidentiality.
  

if the allegations are found to be true, the nurse may face disciplinary action by the bon, including a reprimand or sanction, assessment of a monetary fine, or temporary or permanent loss of licensure.

a 2010 survey of bons conducted by ncsbn indicated an overwhelming majority of responding bons (33 of the 46 respondents) reported receiving complaints of nurses who have violated patient privacy by posting photos or information about patients on social networking sites. the majority (26 of the 33) of bons reported taking disciplinary actions based on these complaints. actions taken by the bons included censure of the nurse, issuing a letter of concern, placing conditions on the nurse's license or suspension of the nurse's license.

[DroogieRN]

Hoe exactly does the BON define "moral turpitude"? I'm honestly curious. I'm careful with social media and don't think I'm committing "moral turpitude," but I'd still like to know what it is or have examples.

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

pa license renewal: are you guilty of a crime of "moral turpitude"? dui, drug crime

...the

commonwealth cour

t in moretti v.state board of pharmacy, 277 a.2d 516 (pa. cmwlth. 1971)

has defined

“moral turpitude”

as “anything done knowingly contrary to justice, honesty or good morals

.” the state board of nursing has adopted and applied this definition in cases before it where the licensee is charged with having been convicted, pleading guilty, entering a plea of nolo contendere,or being found guilty of a felony or a crime of moral turpitude.

[amoLucia]

I was interested too in the past but only just looked it up on google since you posted here. Interesting info.

[llg, PhD, RN]

Thanks for the links.

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

Thank You SCSBN!! There have been so many posters who have blatently described binge drinking, described where they go to school and/or facts about their patients. With just the school and perhaps the age of the student it is fairly easy to narrow it down to who is doing all the big mouth bragging. One important rule...first do no harm-to your career and to your patient.

[SusanRN82]

There's an interesting look at the flip side of social media in a blog on learningext.com

The blog entry asks if it's okay for patients to take pictures or videotape nurses on the job and post these images on the Web. It also asks if it's fair that there is no guarantee of privacy at work (for nurses), even though patient privacy is protected by the law.

[jhoilman]

Social media e-professionalism can be a slippery slop. Dr. Jeff Cain and colleagues have authored great articles for educators and professionals defining e-professionalism. I believe that it's important to know what not to do, but it may be more important to model professional behavior on social media to to serve as positive examples for others.

[Oceanpacific]

The "social media guidelines" from the OP were a bit of a tough slog through the first few pages, but the 7 real life scenarios were really fascinating and scary.