NRS 415 Professional Accountability Reflection

Sample Answer

The current world is characterized by social media platforms that have had significant implications on society. It entails platforms that have enhanced connectivity between people and made networking possible. Additionally, it enables people to share their positive and negative experiences.

Therefore, it has become a critical part of human life, impacting personal and professional interactions. Nurses are required to maintain professionalism on social media since it affects their reputation and work. This paper examines personal and professional accountability in the context of social media utilization.

Description of Posts, Conversations, and Images

The examination of my social media accounts illustrates my most recent posts and conversations. It is evident that my social media activity includes posts about my personal life and professional issues. For instance, there are posts concerning birthday wishes and the latest movies watched.

However, there are posts that have shared information concerning the nursing discipline. For instance, there are posts on educational information that might potentially benefit others, including medical news and safety notices, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alignment with Personal and Professional Values

Personal values entail the guiding beliefs and principles that distinguish between what is appropriate and what is not. The examination of my posts on social media shows that my online activity aligns with my values of integrity and hard work.

Additionally, these posts align with my professional values. In a professional, values are the criteria for action favored by experts. For instance, the nursing profession is characterized by values such as altruism, human dignity, autonomy, integrity, social justice, and honesty (Poorchangizi et al., 2019). The social media activity has aligned with the professional values of integrity, honesty, and human dignity.

Authenticity and Representation on Social Media

Social media often appears as an artificial world in which individuals post their exotic vacations, healthy living, and thriving friendships. Sometimes, people post about their idealistic self-representation on social media platforms (Gorea, 2021). However, social media can also involve an extension of offline identities.

In this case, users post authentic descriptions of themselves. Despite social media offering some extent of self-idealization, it also necessitates some degree of accountability that restrains people from misrepresenting their identities (Bailey et al., 2020).

This is true of social media sites such as Facebook, whereby the users have offline connections with other users such as friends and families. The posts I have made on social media have been about my personal relationships and professional content, which aligns with my interests. Therefore, my posts and conversations can be considered a representation of my authentic self by family, friends, and colleagues.

Respect for Human Value and Dignity on Social Media

There are various reasons why people post on social media, such as personal connection, to define who they are, to feel involved with the rest of the world, to inform and entertain, and to share cause-related content (Barrett-Maitland & Lynch, 2020). Therefore, it is possible for individuals to share their thoughts and concerns.

The social media activity that illustrates Christian values concerns the respect for human values and dignity (De La Torre, 2023). Therefore, my posts and interactions on social media demonstrate respect and compassion. This is because social media activities use appropriate language, do not involve disparaging comments, and enhance empathy. Christian values focus on the essence of respect, love, dignity, and kindness. These values were reflected in social media activities.

Nurses’ Responsibility and Professional Conduct during Interactions
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 necessitates the formulation of standards to safeguard sensitive patient health information and prevent access without necessary patient permission (Moore & Frye, 2019).

Nurses are mandated to maintain standards of conduct aligned with professional values in their personal and professional interactions. This is critical in fostering patient trust, professional reputation, and legal standards such as HIPAA. Personal conduct can influence a nurse’s professional life.

A nurse sharing patient information on social platforms can lead to recognition by others, which is a violation of professional conduct. For example, a nurse who provides healthcare services to a famous individual can be tempted to share information on social interactions. This entails a violation of HIPAA and a case of a nurse’s unprofessional conduct.

Conclusion

Social media is vital and can influence a nurse’s personal and professional life. It should be utilized responsibly and oriented with appropriate personal values. Additionally, professional nursing standards should guide social media interactions.

References

• Bailey, E. R., Matz, S. C., Youyou, W., & Iyengar, S. S. (2020). Authentic self-expression on social media is associated with greater subjective well-being. Nature Communications, 11(1). https //doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18539-w
  Barrett-Maitland, N., & Lynch, J. (2020). Social Media, ethics and the privacy paradox. Security and Privacy from a Legal, Ethical, and Technical Perspective. https //doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.90906
  
• De La Torre, V. J. (2023, March 9). Theology Thursday Value, dignity and significance A Christian perspective. https //www.gcu.edu/blog/theology-ministry/theology-thursday-value-dignity-significance-christian-perspective
  Gorea, M. (2021). Becoming your “authentic” Self How social media influences youth’s visual transitions. Social Media + Society, 7(3), 205630512110478. https //doi.org/10.1177/20563051211047875
  
• Moore, W., & Frye, S. (2019). Review of HIPAA, part 1 History, protected health information, and privacy and security rules. Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology, 47(4), 269–272. https //doi.org/10.2967/jnmt.119.227819
  
• Poorchangizi, B., Borhani, F., Abbaszadeh, A., Mirzaee, M., & Farokhzadian, J. (2019). The importance of professional values from nursing students’ perspective. BMC Nursing, 18(1). https //doi.org/10.1186/s12912-019-0351-1