And when I say "you", as nurses we are really two "yous" the nursing you and the personal you. And why sometimes, never the two should meet. Social media can marry the professional you with the personal you. And not always with the intended results...
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Social media has taken a front seat in how people communicate. For younger people, it is one of the main components of effective communication. For older people, it connects you with people that you perhaps have not seen in years, a new friend that you want to get to know better--easy and instant access 24/7/365. People comment. People post. People get offended. How many times have you heard "why didn't you answer my friend request?" "Why can't I see your social media page" "why am I unable to 'follow' you?" If you do not want people to know your personal business, keep it off of social media. Or limit your social media to people that you DO want to know your business. Social media is the information highway on crack.
People know more about you from your social media postings then much else. You are the life of the party, you are always included, you can be reached and reach others at any time. Which can be a big "DANGER" sign to nurses.
As nurses, we are bombarded in the art and science of caring for others. It can be emotionally and physically draining. For a number of nurses, being "on" all the time takes it toll. To balance a personal and work life is paramount to maintaining composure, to focus on other things, to have an alternate life outside of work. Off time is important, and every nurse has to re-generate at one point or another. On a different vein, after hearing patients in the worst times of their lives for a shift, to go home and log on to social media, we have those friends who again we read about how awful their life is. Keep your social media to your funny, engaging, positive friends. That thought process is akin to caller ID. Remember (or some do) when you had to pick up the phone without knowing who was calling? Not many of us had answering machines either, so if you were not home, you missed calls. If you were on the phone, you got a busy signal. Pre-historic times. But gave the ability to be "off" and to be truly "off". Ultimately giving you the control of who you speak to/communicate with and when and how.
When a nurse has developed a therapeutic relationship with a patient, sometimes it is seen as a "friendship". We, as nurses, are intimately involved in the care and treatment of our patients, which in some circumstances can be portrayed as a more personal relationship than actually exists. Sometimes comes the question "are you on ________" (insert choice of social media here).
Blurring the lines of what could be thought of as personal and professional is not an easy decision for some to make. And it is not always a patient. Sometimes, co-workers want in on our personal lives as well. All of this makes it difficult for a nurse--who is mindful of tactfully saying and doing things as to not offend to make decisions on who (if anyone) can have a glimpse of our lives outside of work.
Employers or potential employers DO "check" one's social media page. Nurses have been disciplined for pictures, comments, and other inappropriate content (which is so subjective, but never the less) based on, in part, listing one's employer publicly. As a good rule of thumb, if you are going to make it know that you are working at XYZ Facility, it would behoove you not to then state "My work stinks".
Regardless if you list your employer on your social media or not, it is never a good idea to share pictures of your work place. Or of you and your patients. Or allow a patient to take your picture. That can be a sticky thing to get out of, however, you should never have a work picture taken that you are not in control of.
Social media is meant to be fun. However, it is also can be a soapbox for those whose intentions are not good ones, are not clear, and just plain spiteful. There are privacy settings. But this is still not a guarantee that you can not control what is being posted on your public forum. So proceed with caution. The best rule of thumb that I have learned is that if you wouldn't admit it to your mother, then don't put it on your social media.
