The terms social media and health care in the same sentence often creates buzz and controversy. The truth of the matter is that we, as a society, have entered a truly digital era. People have become increasingly reliant on technology and its various platforms to communicate with each other. As access to these platforms grow, it is quite common for people to post photos or information in order to share experiences with people. These posts or comments often take seconds to complete and can be done without a full understanding of the full impact to the recipients reading. In addition, these spontaneous posts that are created without critical thinking, or the use of photos within the healthcare environment can damage the credibility of the individual posting. At what point does sharing information about your job become unprofessional? How is this identified, and who enforces such a breach? In health care, professionalism and confidentiality are regarded as essential standards to maintain professional and ethical presence.
Having recently been tasked with completing an audit of my own professional and social media presence, I set out to review all aspects of my digital footprint with a critical professional lens. I had to identify how I wanted to be represented, and how I had represented myself thus far. Overall, the results of my review were positive. I have maintained a quiet presence on social media, being cognizant of what personal information I am sharing. I rarely comment on other’s posts, but if I do, I analyze the content first as I am aware that “liking” or commenting on their content could be viewed as support and should only be done after examining it through a lens of critical thinking.
When examining how I wanted to be represented, I was drawn to the professional values of integrity, authenticity, and respect. My personal audit revealed that I have embraced those values thus far and can continue to develop and fortify them. It is my belief that social media can have a huge impact on these values, either solidifying or destroying them. Even in my current position, I have the ability to influence others as an informal leader by living these professional values daily. As I look to move into a formal leadership position, I will focus on growing my social media presence in a more professional forum such as Linkedin. This social media platform will allow me to network with like-minded individuals and express my professional voice. I will continue to speak up as a professional, but in settings that are controlled, appropriate, and ethical. I challenge everyone to participate in this same exercise. Determine who you are as a professional, and figure out how you want to be viewed by the public. Take a step back and examine your current social media presence through a critical and professional lens, does it match up? Do you feel like you need to make changes to your presence?
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