LAURIE URAJNIK

      I have been a Registered Nurse for six years and a Nurse Manager for six months.  I am a professional.  I am a professional due to taking pride in my work, being honest and honorable, treating others fairly, and being proactive. I also feel I am a professional by the way I represent myself and organization. I represent myself in an excellent way through how I communicate, conduct and handle myself with staff members, clients and the public.  Social Media may offer benefits for health professionals such as opportunities for professional development, advertising, a forum for advocacy, networking and for information sharing (Campbell et al., 2016). Flury (2017), states when used prudently social media can be valuable communication tools for health professionals. On the other hand, inappropriate use can lead to legal problems for nurses causing employment termination, malpractice claims and various disciplinary actions from nursing licensing boards and the employer (Balestra, 2018).  Professionals have ruined their reputation, their employer’s reputation and have lost their employment due to inappropriate posts on social media. Balestra (2018), states posting information about your personal life can negatively affect your professional life. Posting comments and pictures of drug or alcohol use, profanity, sexually explicit or racially derogatory comments can lead to charges of unprofessional behavior (Balestra, 2018).  Weijs, Majowicz, Coe, Desmarais & Jones-Bitten (2017) states posted content seen as unprofessional may damage the reputation of the health professional and their profession.  Also, unprofessionalism on social media can also disrupt the trust-based health care provider-client relationship.

    I am proud of my occupation, my employer and who I am as a professional.  I had been active on Facebook, for 9 years, until about a year ago when I deactivated my account.  I deactivated my account due to fearing what I or others could unintentionally post on my facebook page that could be noted as unprofessionalism.  Unintended issues that could arise from social media use could be credibility of information, self-disclosure, and unacknowledged dual relationships, (Campbell, et. al., 2016). Flury (2017) explains some professionals consider social media risky fearing they may say the wrong thing that could result in unwelcome responses.  Being a Registered Nurse I am a part of the Canadian Nurses of Ontario (CNO) (https://www.cno.org).  My current position, as a Nurse Manager, is a non-unionized position.  My current employment is with Extendicare Maple View, a long-term care organization, in Sault Ste. Marie, ON (https://extendicaremapleview.com).   I would not be protected by my employer and the Registered Nurse governing regulatory boards, the CNO and the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO), if I posted anything questioning my professionalism. The CNO has released a position statement on the use of social media by nurses.  The statement includes recommendations to learn about acting professionally, maintaining boundaries and patient privacy (https://www.cno.org/en/news/2014/new-social-media-guidelines/). The CNO also has other educational resources listed for review including a social media webcast and recommendations from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). Schmitt (2012) explains professional and regulatory bodies give direction through documentation on how to appropriately use social media.  Direction offered in this documentation includes discussions of competence, image, confidentiality expectations, integrity, policy and accountability.  The RNAO, like the CNO, also has best practice guidelines on social media guidelines for nurses (https://rnao.ca/news/socialmediaguideline). The RNAO states there is a general perception that nurses are trustworthy and nursing is an honorable profession. The RNAO also states they urge nurses to act in a manner to keep this trust with society and the profession (RNAO Newsroom, 2019).

   I also feel the importance of keeping my professional reputation intact due to ongoing interactions with other professions on a day-to-day basis.  As an Extendicare Maple View employee, I work with and interact daily with, many professionals including Maple View’s administrator, nursing management, dietary management, activities management, doctors, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, registered dieticians, and physiotherapy.  I interact with the same employment titles, of professionals, from various other organizations within Sault Ste. Marie. Some professionals I interact with outside of my employer are doctors, pharmacists and foot care registered staff. I collaborate with a very large group of health professionals who collaborate in health care for the residents who live at Extendicare Maple View. I strive to keep my values and reputation, as a professional, at high standards due to the constant and ongoing collaboration and interaction with health care professionals, resident and their families.  I also feel it is important to represent my employer in a reputable way that leaves a good impression on all. 

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References

Balestra, M.L. (2018). Social media missteps could put your nursing

     license at risk. American NurseToday,13(3), 20-22.

Campbell, S., Chong, S., Ewan, V.,Toombs, E., Tzalaziditis, R., & Maranzan, A.K. (2016).  Social                    Medipolicy for graduate students challenges and opportunities forprofessional psychology                      training programs. Canadian Psychology, 57(3), 202-210.

Flury, C. (2017). Social Media as leadership tool for nurse executives. Nursing Economics, 35(5), 272-          275.

Gagnon, K., & Sabus, C. (2015). Professionalism in a digital age:Opportuities and 

     considerations fousing media in health care.  PhysicalTherapy, 95(3), 406-414.

Schmitt, T., Sims-Giddens, S., & BoothR. (2012). Social media use innursing education. Journal of                 Issues in Nursing, 17(3), 1-17.

Weijs, C., Majowicz, S., Coe, J. B.,Desmarais, S., & Jones-Bitton, A(2017). The personal

     use of facebook by public health professionals in Canada: Implications for public health practice.            Journal of Communication in Healthcare, 10, 8-14.

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