The Internet revolution of the 21st century has changed the way people interact with one another. Additionally, it has influenced how nurses could communicate, especially through social media. The different platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, among other related communication channels, provide nurses with options to express their views on various matters, whether work-related or personal matters. This short paper is a summary of my Facebook postings that could be considered inappropriate based on the professional standards of nursing.
As I analyzed my Facebook posts, I noted some of them could be classified as unprofessional if scrutinized based on the set standards of nursing. In one of the posts, I complained about one employer who was difficult to deal with. I even mentioned his name and place of work, and in retrospect, I recognize this was utterly unprofessional. If I have a problem with my employers, I should approach them and address my issues maturely without social media outbursts. In another post, I complained about how nursing is involved, especially the huge amount of coursework that students are supposed to cover before they can graduate. This was also unwarranted because I knew what nursing implicates before I signed for the program. In another post, I had used profane language, and while this behavior is common in social media, I now realize that as a professional nurse, I am expected to uphold certain standards to preserve the personal image and the reputation of the practice.
Nurses have a responsibility to observe a standard of conduct consistent with the standards governing the profession of nursing at work and in their personal lives for various reasons. First, standards guide and promote the nursing practice, and thus they should not be violated for the sake of the profession (Lunnay et al., 2015). Additionally, some of these standards protect patients by ensuring their privacy and safety. Moreover, professional standards hold nurses accountable for their actions, and they promote competent care. On a personal level, upholding standards is important as it affects decision-making concerning whether one can be employed or admitted to a certain school or professional body. Personal conduct could be considered unethical if they violate the set standards. For instance, talking negatively about patients is wrong and unprofessional. Additionally, personal conduct, such as breaching patients’ privacy, say by posting their information through social media or sharing it with unauthorized third parties, violates HIPAA (Palacios-González, 2015).
According to Christian values, respecting human value and dignity for all individuals is a basic requirement for all nurses. I am a champion of these principles because I always ensure that what I post online is consistent with such values. I respect people’s privacy, and thus I do not talk about my patients. Additionally, I refrain from sharing any content or images that violate human dignity. I do not participate in discussions that I feel are inappropriate for my profession. For instance, the topic of race and racism is common on Facebook, albeit subtly. However, I avoid such discussions because I believe we are all created equal. However, from my analysis, I have realized that I like to complain a lot, and this is an area that I should improve. I am learning how to address issues without whining because it is unprofessional. After the analysis of my Facebook posts, I believe that moving forward, I will be a responsible nurse upholding all the professional standards of nursing.
References
- Lunnay, B., Borlagdan, J., McNaughton, D., & Ward, P. (2015). Ethical use of social media to facilitate qualitative research. Qualitative Health Research, 25(1), 99-109.
- Palacios-González, C. (2015). The ethics of clinical photography and social media. Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy, 18(1), 63-70.