Do nurses have a responsibility to keep their Facebook professional?

Nurses Professionalism

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I am "Facebook friends" with a large number of my nursing peers. I am often quite surprised at the behavior I see exhibited by them in so public a place.

I see:

1. Lots and lots of foul language/inappropriate pics, etc.

2. Lots and lots of "oh, man, I'm so wasted right now...bout to go to the next bar!!!"

3. Lots and lots of TMI about relationships, affairs, drunkeness, fights, whatever.

On their FB profile, they have it proudly posted that they are "Registered Nurse at So-and-so Hospital", or "Proud PEDI Nurse!" or "School nurse at Ur Dum Akadimy".

I cringe sometimes when I see some of this stuff, and think to myself "what would their employer think?" or, "Hope they're not interviewing soon with a computer-adept manager".

I try to keep my social media as clean as I can, and don't flaunt any of my bad habits for the world to see.

But, what do you think? Do nurses have a responsibility to maintain a professional demeanor on their (supposedly) private social media sites?

Another possibility: Am I an old fart?

Specializes in Med/surg, Quality & Risk.
face book (i refuse to capitalize it, and it isn't one word). fd has the been the downfall of so many good things. I do some work with a mental health / post divorce counsellor. 6 of 10 divorces started as a result of online fb (primarily) contacts. Old boyfriends, girlfriends, gay friends, etc. fb has killed jobs, caused suicides, protects a couple of pedophile and felon rings by not disclosing their identity. THAT was because a number of the people selling pictures of little ones, WERE people on fb's staff.

Now, for those that will defend fb by saying, "i only use it to keep in touch with so and so". Get a real life, send a letter and put PICTURES in the letter. They'll last longer anyway.

Yes, Facebook is the downfall of society. It is the only method available to find old boyfriends and girlfriends and destroy your marriage. And don't forget, if you have Facebook, you have no real life.

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Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.

Facebook is harmless. It's the idiotic nimrods that use it that are the problem.

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Specializes in retired LTC.
Facebook is harmless. It's the idiotic nimrods that use it that are the problem.
Just like 'guns don't kill ... people kill'.
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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Facebook is harmless. It's the idiotic nimrods that use it that are the problem.

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Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.
Facebook is harmless. It's the idiotic nimrods that use it that are the problem.

Bortaz for president!:lol2:

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Specializes in ER, TRAUMA, MED-SURG.

Hello Bortaz my friend - love the thread! I do have a fb account as does my dh. I haven't worked as a nurse since my CVA, but I do keep in contact with a VERY few old ER friends. I have my profile private - I did add some old classmates after our last HS reunion and my and my dh' family members are ALL at least 6 hours away, so that's usually how we keep in contact with all them, get to see pics of my neices, nephews, ect.

The facility where dh supervises does have a fe "monitor" that scan fb accounts for comments, ect - I try to think of it a not posting anything that I wouldn't say to my mom or some of my fellow church members since I have both as fb friends. Most of the pics on my page are pics of the family, my dogs, that kind of thing. Some of my fb friends that are nurses post pics in bars, doing shots, or comment talking about their "hookups", and that type of thing and I just shake my head - where's their brains??

Anne

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

I've just heard of another colleague on administrative leave because of something she posted on FaceBook. Something extremely STUPID that she posted. This woman was in her fifties, and definitely should have known better than to post her (racist) opinion of mixed marriages. The administrative leave was probably the least of her worries, considering that her son-in-law and the grandchild she's expecting are of mixed race, and she's "friended" every human being she's ever met.

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I am 30 yrs old. My FB Policy is " Do not ADD your Co-Workers" and do not put where you WORK!!!! Period! Do you really want people at work knowing what you do in your private life? whether is good or NOT? NO!

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My Facebook is on private, friends only. I don't friend current coworkers. I did that one time and the clinical director (over all 20 locations of our office and 200+ employees) suggested that I unfriend them because they're very two-faced. One had emailed her to complain that she was assigned the same area two days in a row when I had been asked to make the daily schedule ONE day. Since then I've made a policy to not friend coworkers. I also try not to comment on other's rants because that can be seen by their friends and so on.

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I keep my facebook clean i can never ever post anything on any kind of social media showing ngtv imprsn of my profession

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Do not put your place of employment on your facebook. Make your profile private, so only your friends can see and comment on content. Don't "friend" your kids, their friends or your relatives under the age of 21. Don't "friend" your supervisors. And no matter what the employment, when you get messages and pictures about how drunk someone is, scandalous pictures, or just inappropriate comments, de-friend, as I am old, and don't want to KNOW how drunk you are, or what your cleavage looks like in the bathroom mirror. People who know you in real life have some sense of who you are as a person. For me, I have a brutally dry sense of humor, and people who know me know this. That, combined with some passionate political and ethical debate, and game on. LOL. Seriously, you can pick your friends. If they are young enough that they are closing the bar, then perhaps re-think facebook, rethink your content, rethink your privacy settings. You can also have "just me" in all of this if you DON'T want anyone to know any of your business but you. People lose jobs over facebook content. But savvy young adults should know this. If your place of employment has a social media policy in place, use it, encourage others to follow suit. Give everyone a copy of the policy at the next staff meeting. With perhaps a small wake up call that is is entirely inappropriate to say you are RN so and so and have a pic of yourself face down in the bar parking lot.

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