Combining Professionalism and Social Media

Combining my professional identity with social media is a new challenge as I have always been wary of sharing any information on social media platforms. I do have a private Facebook page and have used LinkedIn to look for jobs, but I don't post or actively look on the home feed. I now have three twitter accounts because I cannot remember the passwords/email accounts for the first two! I do have an Instagram account but I haven't used this account since it was created several years ago.

When pondering my professional identity I reviewed my own values and perceptions. Promoting independence is essential when working with staff, clients, and their support networks. I lead by example, work hard, and I am open to feedback – this is core to my professional identity. In my current management role, I am expected to support, guide, and nurture my staff. Creating a positive team environment is a goal that I am actively working towards. Treating others respectfully, being approachable, and maintaining confidentiality are my top three professional and personal values.

It is important to take into consideration what guidelines nursing professionals must follow from our workplace and college. The College of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CRNA) and Alberta Health Service (AHS) has created several resources regarding the use of social media. CRNA and AHS both emphasize that staff have the right to post, or not post, what they wish but to remember that once posted, the information will exist forever (AHS, n.d. & CRNA 2021). CRNA recommends the below principles, highlighted in Image 1, when using social media (CRNA, 2021):

Image 1

The 6 "Ps" of Social Media E-Professionalism

AHS also provides key considerations for applying the AHS Code of Conduct when expressing private views and opinions (AHS, n.d.). Interestingly, "the majority of complaints AHS receives about an employee's posts on social media are from their fellow colleagues" (AHS, n.d., p. 3).

Formulating a social media plan was initially overwhelming due to the sheer amount of information available. Fortunately, my husband manages the social media for his company and helped me work through all the information. By following Peagler's (2021) social media strategy and supporting documents from Business Gateway (n.d.) and AHS (2011) I have chosen to use the Facebook and LinkedIn platforms. The overall goal of the social media plan is to promote personal brand awareness with a focus on home care, the rural perspective, gerontology, and leadership.

Facebook

When using Facebook, I will be targeting professionals between the ages of 30-65. This audience will be routinely online, have at least a university degree, and belong to professional colleges and associations. Use of images, links to websites, promoting posts and calls to action will keep the audience engaged. Posts with a word limit of 150-200 words will be done daily. Google analytics will measure my click-throughs and guide what type of posts work best for this audience (Business Gateway, n.d.).

LinkedIn

The target audience for LinkedIn are professionals between the ages of 22-55. As with Facebook, this audience will be routinely online, have at least a university degree, and belong to professional colleges and associations. The keys to maximizing your LinkedIn platform is having a well thought out home page, target specific audiences, and post routinely. Again, Google analytics will be used to track clicks and interactions (Business Gateway, n.d.).

In summary, take your time when combining your professional identity and social media. Review all resources available and seek out assistance if the information becomes overwhelming. Use a tool to help organize your media plan and review your analytics on a routine basis. Follow the “The 6 "Ps" of Social Media E-Professionalism” (CRNA, 2021) and, remember to think before you post – once on the internet, always on the internet.