Nurse on-line, Nurse off-line:Learning to be a digital professional

Wendy Sinclair @wlasinclair

Moira McLoughlin@levylass

“Use all forms of spoken, written and digital communication (including social media and networking sites) responsibly.”

‘Protect your professionalism and your reputation. It is important to consider who and what you associate with on social media. For example, acknowledging someone else’s

post can imply that you endorse or support their point of view. You should consider the possibility of other people mentioning you in inappropriate posts. If you have used

social media for a number of years, it is important to consider, in relation to the Code, what you have posted

online in the past’NMC, 2015

The need to be professional: online and offline

‘Social media including inappropriate use of social media related to compromising images on sites that

indicate that the person is a nursing student or a student of the University of Salford’

‘Misuse of the internet and social networking sites’

‘aggressive or threatening behaviour, bullying or physical violence; by word or deed including using

social media’

Fitness for practice:Misconduct or Unsuitability

...I started using Twitter in early 2012 in an attempt to understand it better! @wlasinclair

The importance of our personal accounts ...

...finding likeminded academics on Twitter was the start! @levylass has been on Twitter since 2009

Working together...

I started this account with a student rep in 2012 having chaired all staff student committees as the Student Experience Lead for the School…I wanted a faster way of communicating with students that closed the loop on queries & issues raised via rep system – see blog ‘from little acorns’ https://salforduniversitynursing.wordpress.com/2014/01/25/mighty-oaks-from-little-acorns-grow/

….But it faltered at first…and then grew and developed in a very different way….

The importance of a nursing account for students @nursingSUni

• A small team in Jan 2013 revived the nursing Twitter account with a vision of student and academic partnership: Co-Curation

• Role modeling and mentoring students and staff to develop social media skills

A partnership account

Blogging

Facebook groups and pages

• ‘its another place to go to find out, to ask questions, to get support’

• “you do always get a response – you never ever get like an email waiting for days and days on end you always get a response and usually within an hour or so which is really helpful’

• ‘yes and sometimes (with Twitter) it’s a lecturer from another University who follows the account’

• “I think it also helped with my personal account to be more professional on my own account”

Student focus groups – emerging findings through their own words

• Role modelling works!• Very few problems • Student engagement is growing • Wider learning appears to be taking place• Student awareness of current issues heightened• Deeper understanding of being ‘professional’• Student connections – across Universities not

just within • Development opportunities & cross fertilisation

of ideas• Creativity evident • Students willing to report!

What have we found?