The Social Media Plan

When I hear the term “appropriate social media presence”, I think of social media usage that represents an individual in a professional manner. That person’s profile should be absent of any vulgar language, suggestive imagery and posts of an unseen nature. This may also refer to certain political, racial and religious discussions that may be deemed controversial and extends to the content liked, shared, re-posted and/or re-tweeted.

We need to be mindful of the things we say or post online and of the things that other people may see us participating in in the digital world. We must conduct ourselves in accordance to professional ethical standards at all time.

Nowadays, there has been a surge of healthcare professionals acting in a dual role as social media influencers. In that case, I recommend separating professional pages from personal pages where the professional page is public for your intended audience and your personal page has been made private.

Professional Ethical Standards

“Professional ethics assesses the moral dimension of human activity in the classic occupations of law, medicine, ministry and by extension higher education, engineering, journalism, management and other occupations that aspire to professional status. Professional ethics is concerned with the standards and moral conduct that govern the profession and its members. More specifically, professional ethics examines issues, problems, and the social responsibility of the profession itself and individual practitioners…” ("Professional Ethics| Encyclopedia.com", 2018)

As individuals, we possess many roles; spouse, parent, friend and that of our occupational roles. Many of us might be aware of what our professional ethics include within the workplace (or at least where to access it but what happens once we leave the workplace?

It is our duty to keep those same ethical values in mind while online.

PUBLIC OBLIGATION

The question was asked “As a professional are you obligated to speak up in public?”. For the answer to that question, let’s take into consideration the “Anti-Vaxxers” campaign that has been making rounds through various media platforms and especially online. The debate continues about whether or not vaccinations are harmful and possibly related to an increased risk of developmental delays and autism in children.

As healthcare professionals, we need to be aware of how the things we say regarding topics within the healthcare field may be interpreted by a patient or other persons in a non-clinical profession. If need be, restraining from commenting on these posts or forums may be wise or at least stating that your opinions are that of you own and not representative of your profession or the organization that you work for.

I get asked a lot about medications and if they are “good or not”, or if a recommended treatment or procedure is worth it to a patient. While I do acknowledge their questions, I try not to give any definite statements about these topics. I may mention things that I have been taught about that treatment in regards to what it may be used for and if conducted on an out-patient or in-patient basis but always mention that each procedure is tailored to that particular patient and recommend that they direct any further questions to their physician.

While browsing for an article that would complement this topic, I found a great article on the HPSO website written by a nurse named Melanie Balestra who is not only a nurse practitioner but also a partner at a business and insurance law firm in California. The article provides a general “Do’s and Don’ts” list for social media use. It states “Healthcare professionals and students need to realize that online postings are permanent and can negatively affect their license and ability to practice. To protect yourself, think twice before you post content that could be judged as “unprofessional.”" (Balestra, 2018).

While not all encompassing, this article provides a guideline that we can use while navigating the world of social media.

In conclusion, we must all strive to present ourselves online in a manner that is appropriate for the public to see, that is in line with the professional ethics of our occupation and that depicts the morals we must uphold within our professions.