Please use some common sense on Facebook.

Nurses General Nursing

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I have many coworkers that are my friends on Facebook. The site has their picture, full name and place of work. They'll post negative comments about patients in general or criticize their place of employment. I realize someone can have their profile hidden; however, nothing is really hidden online. Why incriminate and play career suicide?

Has anyone else noticed this trend? Know anyone fired for facebook posts or comments?

Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

I use facebook to remain in contact with my alumni friends and the games. I say nothing specific about myself on it, I usually post positive affirmations on my page and that is it. No personal information.

I did hear that a person got fired (not at my hospital), but because someone sent a video to facebook of that person, who called in sick to attend a party.

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Specializes in Cardiac surgery ICU.

There was an article in the papers some time ago about someone who criticised her boss on Facebook and got her dismissal notice through Facebook in return. She just didn't know her boss was on Facebook too and had read what she had written. Don't remember what country it happened.

So you do have to be careful what you write on these pages!! And of course not write anything about patients, even if you don't mention their names.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, ICU, educator.

And of course, now there is a Canadian woman who lost her disability benefits (depression) because she posted pictures of herself partying and carrying on.....she says her MD told her to party as part of her therapy, and she's trying to sue to get her benefits back. I know that there's 2 sides to every story, but I think she knows she got busted, and from other comments I've seen, not many feel much sympathy for her.....

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Specializes in Retired OR nurse/Tissue bank technician.
And of course, now there is a Canadian woman who lost her disability benefits (depression) because she posted pictures of herself partying and carrying on.....she says her MD told her to party as part of her therapy, and she's trying to sue to get her benefits back. I know that there's 2 sides to every story, but I think she knows she got busted, and from other comments I've seen, not many feel much sympathy for her.....

*Nods* Certainly, getting out and about and doing 'normal' things is a vital part of recovering from depression, but somehow trips to Chippendale's doesn't quite fit the bill.

At the same time, if a friend offered to take her on a trip, I don't think she should be penalized just because she travelled and was able to have some fun. A person on disability shouldn't be tied only to their home and immediate area unless they are claiming to be bedridden or unable to move more than a few feet at a time.

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A girl got fired from my work because she called in sick and one of her "so called" friends that she worked with knew to look on FB for pictures of the girl at a ballgame and she got fired. Dont be dumb enough to call out of work and then post where you really were!

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I made the mistake of adding people from work to facebook and when I commented on the city I lived in at the time they got offended and it transferred over to work. Didn't have anything to do with work, but they made it about work. My advice COMPLETELY separate professional from personal. In the end they were bigots that had a problem with my "lifestyle" and used quotes on facebook to bring it to work. I believe that it is up to the individual to allow people to have their own opinions without it being brought to work. Facebook is personal and not professional. If you have a problem with what a person has to say on facebook then delete them from your friends list.

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Maybe someone can answer a question for me. Why is it that ANYONE from work thinks they have the right to bring anything from facebook to work. That includes bosses and HR employees. VERY unprofessional in my opinion. Facebook and Myspace are both PERSONAL not PROFESSIONAL. This is why most employers block it in their firewalls. People need to learn to leave other people and their personal lives out of work. Separate it people. The only kind of person I can see bringing this kind of thing to work are busybodies with no lives. LEAVE THE PEOPLE YOU WORK WITH ALONE OUTSIDE OF WORK!

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Specializes in MED SURG/ PSY.

It sounds like u cant wait for them to get caught drinking in the privacy of thier home and post it- then get fired over it. Unless the are doing something illegal or against hospital policy , I DONT CARE.

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One of my professors told us that you should never put anything on the computer or cellphone that you wouldn't want on the front page of the newspaper.

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Specializes in Med Surg.

I believe that it is up to the individual to allow people to have their own opinions without it being brought to work. Facebook is personal and not professional. If you have a problem with what a person has to say on facebook then delete them from your friends list.

There was a story from a city in Texas a couple of years ago about a cop who was fired for his FB home page. I was full of his opinions, such as his "opinions" about Blacks, Hispanics, gays, and just about anyone else who wasn't a WASP. He also expressed views about saving the cost of trials and prison time. Care to guess what his suggestion was?

Of course these were just his personal opinions and had nothing to do with his professional life.

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Lots of people get fired for facebook, you read about it all the time. And, prospective employers seek these kind of network sites to dig up dirt on you. My advice? If you want to do it for fun, fine, but don't post ANYTHING related to work or your PRIVATE life. Keep it light and use your public social persona as if you were at work. My personal thoughts are that these kinds of websites are for kids, not adults.

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Specializes in Med/Surg.
The big problem with FB is that you have to use your full, real name.

You don't have to use your full, real name. That's just what most people do so other people can find them easily. I could be wrong since I've been on there so long ago, but even if you have to, you can edit your name to whatever you want later. Some of my friends do their names backwards or throw in a nickname as the middle name.

But I don't post anything on there that I wouldn't say to someone's or the person-in-question's face. It's usually a second choice when I can't get to them by phone (insert sarcasm here).

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