Can it be achieved? Can you actively use social media, exercise your free speech, all while maintaining a professional online presence? These were some of the questions recently discussed in my Master of Health Studies class.
As we continue to move towards a fully digital society, maintaining a professional online identity is becoming ever more important. As a result of the increased use of social media by professionals, many organizations and employers have put social media policies in place. This may seem like a straightforward approach; however, the reality is that it is far from simple.
As an example, the College & Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CARNA) recently made news headlines when they released a draft of their guidance document ‘Social Media and e-Professionalism, Guidelines for Nurses’ (Mertz, 2020). The United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) believe these new guidelines would inflict on the freedom of expression of frontline healthcare workers (Mertz, 2020).
In our class, we discussed a case where a Registered Nurse was facing a disciplinary committee due to Facebook posts where she shared criticisms regarding her grandfather’s end of life care (CBC News, 2016). Interestingly, this nurse has continued to fight for her right of freedom of expression and, most recently, she won her court case (The Canadian Press, 2020).
In the struggle to find a balance between protecting free speech and preserving professionalism, some employers are bound to overstep their boundaries. I believe that there are good intentions behind these policies – namely, to maintain the public’s image of the given profession, and to prevent employees from becoming the next news story sensation – however, there is much work to be done to ensure that freedom of speech remains protected.
It is unfortunate that the media tends to highlight the negative aspects of social media, while little attention is given to its potential benefits. Social media can provide a space for health professionals to expand their networks and to engage in healthy debate with their peers. It can also be used to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors, and to stay on top of new medical advances and discoveries (Ventola, 2014, Participation in social media by health care professionals).
With all of this in mind, I had to ask myself, how do I want to present my professional self?
Although I do not have a regulatory body to which I am accountable for my actions, I interact with a variety of health professionals daily. These relationships are built on our common goals and mutual trust. It is vital that my digital presence reflects the ethical and moral values that I uphold as a member of the research community.
Personally, I use a variety of social media platforms, with my professional accounts housed on LinkedIn and Twitter. When I analyzed my digital footprint, the most glaring takeaway was that, although I have these professional accounts, I rarely use them for anything more than networking, browsing and ‘liking’ others’ content.
I quickly realized that my online professional identity did not line up with one of my core professional values: social responsibility.
Social media provides a platform where anyone and everyone can share their opinions. We have all likely seen or heard of a post or tweet going ‘viral’ – often for all the wrong reasons. If the voices of those spreading false information are left unchecked, it can result in misinformation spreading to millions of people, and potentially causing them real harm.
This is where my social responsibility comes into play. I believe that it is now more important than ever for health professionals to use social media platforms to promote reliable, evidence-based health information. On a small scale, this may mean starting a discussion with a friend who is sharing a false news story. On a large scale, it means curating reliable, evidence-based information, and sharing it in a way that inspires others to want to delve in and learn more.
In addition, I want to work on sharing my opinion, and exercising my freedom of expression, even when it may not be a popular one. Provided that I can support my opinion with facts, I should not be afraid to share my thoughts and stand behind them.
For example: I believe that clinical research is an essential component of any progressive health care system. Clinical research in humans can be a very controversial topic – especially when it involves new therapeutics or vaccines. One of my goals in developing my online professional presence will be to curate and share resources that support my stance, with the hopes of initiating thought-provoking discussions with my online network.
Wish me luck!
References:
CBC News. (2016, December 3). Nurse who “vented” online found guilty of professional misconduct Social Sharing. CBC. Retrieved January 29, 2021, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/srna-discipline-social-media-nurse-saskatchewan-1.3880351
Mertz, E. (2020, October 26). Some Alberta nurses worry proposed social media policy would muzzle health advocacy and criticism. Global News. Retrieved January 29, 2021, from https://globalnews.ca/news/7422553/alberta-nurses-social-media-policy-draft-freedom-criticism/
The Canadian Press. (2020, October 6). Saskatchewan Court of Appeal quashes fine against nurse who made critical Facebook post. Global News. Retrieved January 29, 2021, from https://globalnews.ca/news/7381810/saskatchewan-court-of-appeal-nurse-facebook/
Ventola C. L. (2014). Social media and health care professionals: benefits, risks, and best practices. P & T : a peer-reviewed journal for formulary management, 39(7), 491–520.
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