NRS 415 Personal and Professional Accountability in Social Media

Sample Answer

Social media is a powerful tool for nurses as it increases the visibility of the nursing profession and the important role that nurses play in healthcare systems and communities. As such, the American Nurses Association (ANA) (2024) implores nurses to remain professionally and personally accountable in using their social media platforms or accounts.

Further, in their article, Geraghty et al. (2021) asserted the importance of social media in contemporary nursing based on its benefits and associated risks. The purpose of this paper is to self-reflect on my utilization of social media and analyze if it aligns with professional and ethical values.

Description of Posts

Upon a review of most of my posts on various social media platforms including Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and other chats, I realize that a majority of them focus on personal aspects as opposed to professional life.

I avoid engaging in conversations that can violate the reputation of the nursing profession and my practice setting. I utilize my social media platforms to share information on health promotion activities and initiatives shared by various stakeholders. I ensure that such information is authentic and beneficial to my audience, patients, and health populations.

For instance, a post on my Facebook and Instagram accounts shows healthy living initiatives that people can implement in practice and primary settings. For instance, the posts on personal life on these platforms motivate and inspire my friends, and anyone interested in healthy living. Further, I ascertain that my posts meet core values and principles like confidentiality, and respect for human dignity, and are professional.

Alignment With Personal and Professional Values Of Nursing

Engagements and conversations on social media networks can be unrestrictive and lead to professional misconduct or malpractice, especially when they violate the ethical principles expected of nurses at both levels (Kanchan et al., 2023).

For individuals in healthcare, especially nursing, one must adhere to the professional core values as advanced by the American Nurses Association. Based on the analysis of the posts on social media accounts, I realized that most of the activities and posts appear to align with the personal values and professional values expected of nurses.

Personal values like dignity, respect, and confidentiality are critical for social media users, particularly nurses. The posts adhere to expected professional conduct and principles of confidentiality, respect, and tolerance.

Authenticity and Representation

Individuals post on social media for various reasons, including chasing clout and seeking attention. As such, they post images and conversations that are not authentic and do not represent their personalities and characteristics.

However, as nurses and nursing students, developing and posting images and conversations on social media implores one to adhere to professional and ethical values like respect and authenticity (Guraya et al., 2021).

Therefore, the posts and conversations on my social media accounts are not only authentic and practical but also represent who I am as a professional nurse. They mirror my interests, beliefs, and values that I cherish and hold dear like empathy, respect, and human dignity as well as service to others.

Respect For Human Values and Dignity

The activity on social media is a reflection of myself and what I stand for in many aspects except where I am idealistic. Human value and dignity of others based on Christianity require individuals to show love, respect diversity, and seek the best for others irrespective of the circumstances.

As such, the posts and activities like sharing a biblical verse on a Sunday as reflected in several instances demonstrate the respect for human value and dignity of others. Protecting human life from all harm is a core part of nursing care and responsibilities (Booth et al., 2021).

As such, my posts ensure all audiences can access the information that is not offensive and harmful, disrespectful and discriminatory and aims at educating them irrespective of the diversity though being sensitive to cultural aspects.

Responsibility to Uphold a Standard of Conduct

Nurses are patient advocates and stand between patients and the healthcare system. Therefore, like all professionals, they have a responsibility to uphold standards of conduct consistent with professional values by ANA, regulatory requirements, and workplace policies when interacting at all levels; both professional and personal (Vukušić et al., 2021).

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) mandates nurses to respect the privacy and confidentiality of patient health information. Therefore, these legal requirements imply that nurses should use social media responsibly and professionally.

The ANA also implores nurses to heed its guidelines on social media to safeguard confidential health information, illustrate professional conduct, and not harm patients and the public when providing information on social media platforms (Lynn et al., 2024). For instance, nurses should never reveal patient information, including taking pictures with them even with their consent as such damages the professional reputation of nursing.

Conclusion

Social media has several benefits that nurses can leverage to share information and help in health promotion. However, improper utilization can destroy not just the personal repute but also the professional standing of the nursing profession. Consequently, nurses should leverage social media platforms to share information and promote health as opposed to posting offensive and unprofessional content.

References

• American Nurses Association (ANA) (2024). Social Media Principles.
  https //www.nursingworld.org/social/
  Booth, R. G., Strudwick, G., McBride, S., O’Connor, S., & Solano López, A. L. (2021). How the
  Nursing profession should adapt to a digital future. The BMJ, 373, n1190. https //doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1190
  
• Geraghty, S., Hari, R., & Oliver, K. (2021). Using social media in contemporary nursing risks
  and benefits. British Journal of Nursing, 30(18) 1078-1082. https //doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2021.30.18.1078
  
• Guraya, S. S., Guraya, S. Y., & Yusoff, M. S. B. (2021). Preserving professional identities,
  behaviors, and values in digital professionalism using social networking sites; a systematic review. BMC Medical Education, 21(381) 1-12. DOI 10.1186/s12909-021-02802-9
  
• Kanchan, S., & Gaidhane, A. (2023). Social media role and its impact on public health A
  narrative review. Cureus, 15(1), e33737. https //doi.org/10.7759/cureus.33737
  
• Lynn, M. A., Cook, C., Neff, D. F., Kinchen, E. V., & Beever, J. (2024). Ethical decision-
  making among nurses participating in social media a grounded theory study. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 15(2) 45-56. DOI 10.1016/S2155-8256(24)00055-3
  
• Vukušić R. T., Viskić, J., Machala Poplašen, L., Relić, D., Marelić, M., Jokic, D., &
  Sedak, K. (2021). Dangers and benefits of social media on e-professionalism of health care professionals a scoping review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 23(11) e25770. DOI 10.2196/25770