As a registered nurse (RN) practicing in BC, I belong to the College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia (CRNBC). I also belong to the Association of Registered Nurses of British Columbia (ARNBC), which falls under the direction of CRNBC bylaws and the Health Professions Act. The ARNBC provides a voice for RNs and NPs in health, nursing, and public policy development to advance the health of residents in British Columbia. I am also a member of the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) and hold specialty certification in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing. In my role as an Registered Nurse/Team Leader, I frequently interact with several other professions while providing client care and case management.
In British Columbia, a nurse can be held personally liable for professional negligence. Professional liability protection is provided to all CRNBC registrants by the Canadian Nurses Protective Society. This insurance provides compensation to individuals who have been harmed because of professional negligence by a CRNBC registrant (CRNBC, 2018a). It also provides protection, for nurses, against costs of defending allegations and any damages awarded against them. All RNs and NPs, registered with the CRNBC are also covered by Commercial General Liability insurance. Nursing is a profession that is laden with risks when it comes to online media, such as wrongful disclosure of information leading to breaches of trust and confidentiality as well as defamation issues. Inappropriate use of social media can lead to disciplinary actions negatively affecting a nurse’s career, and in more serious cases, could lead to the loss of their nurses’ license and legal action.
I feel that it is important to consider how I present myself both in-person and online. An appropriate social media presence for nurses can be used as a useful tool to increase visibility, inform the public, and empower our profession. As a registered nurse, there is a professional responsibility and accountability to promote and advocate for the provision of safe, appropriate and ethical care for clients (CRNBC, 2018b). In keeping with the CRNBC(2018c) Standard 4: Ethical Practice, in using social media, nurses must always protect client privacy and confidentiality, promote and maintain respectful communication and behaviour in all professional interactions, recognize and respect the contributions of others on the healthcare team and demonstrates honesty and integrity.
I frequently google my name to make certain that any information or pictures pertaining to me are of a nature that reflect how I want to be seen. I have a LinkedIn account, which I set up several years ago that I occasional update. I follow a few family members, but most of the people I follow are individuals in my profession that I view as leaders, in the hope that I will learn something from them and be inspired. My name and work contact info also show up on a local online community resource list. Additionally, I am listed under the CNA Mentorship Program for the Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse (CPMHN (C)) program.
I do have a Facebook account, but my settings are always set to private. I never add clients as I would feel uncomfortable with clients knowing personal information about my family as this could negatively impact the therapeutic relationship. I am connected to some people at my work but I am not connected to anyone that I supervise. I live in a small town, and work as a Mental Health and Substance Use Team Lead, so I am very careful about maintaining strong boundaries and confidentiality for myself, my family and my clients and their families. I rarely post on Facebook and when I do it is to wish someone a happy birthday or post appropriate pictures of my family. Prior to a few weeks ago, I had never been on Twitter.
Although, I do see the value of having an online professional presence, my online presence has been very limited up to this point. To increase my online professional presence, I have updated and added to my LinkedIn Account, developed this ePortfolio Webpage, and starting a Twitter account. I would like to use my professional online presence to foster professional connections, to stay current, informed and be inspired, to promote my career, to educate and inform consumers and healthcare professionals, to promote my personal and professional values, to provide helpful links to share resources, to promote the nursing profession, and to create increased awareness around mental health and substance use issues.
References:
College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia (CRNBC). (2018a). Practice Support. Retrieved from, https://www.crnbc.ca/PracticeSupport/liability/Pages/Default.aspx
College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia (CRNBC). (2018b). Professional Responsibility and Accountability. Retrieved from, https://www.crnbc.ca/Standards/ProfessionalStandards/Pages/ProfessionalAccountability.aspx
College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia (CRNBC). (2018c). Ethical Practice. Retrieved from, https://www.crnbc.ca/Standards/ProfessionalStandards/Pages/EthicalPractice.aspx