NURS 4516: Social Media and Professional Networking in Nursing

This discussion board post addresses the topic of professional networking within the context of nursing, focusing on the impact of social media and relevant guidelines. The assignment requires a student to select a scenario from a video about social media use, reflect on its implications for their current studies and future practice, and identify applicable informatics competencies. The student discusses the importance of professional networking for job acquisition, and the risks and benefits of social media use. The student also provides personal advice on healthcare information found on social media. The student is required to post twice, providing initial thoughts and responding to a colleague's post. The assignment aligns with the NURS 4516 course, Advanced Professional Issues, and the discussion highlights the importance of ethical and professional behavior in the use of social media. The post also references the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) guidelines, and relevant readings, reinforcing the need for nurses to navigate social media responsibly.

Running Head: PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING
PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING
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PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING 2
Professional Networking
Professional networking is based on underhand motives. Professional networking helps
me as a student to share a common interest with my classmates and assist each other.
Professional networks are authentic and natural. I have a discomfort with professional
networking since it looks like it is related to active networking. Active networking is all about
seeking out friends to connect with. If we approach active networking with a mindset of
establishing relationships that have a mutual benefit, then professional networking will be more
palatable. A professional connection is vital since it can offer personal assistance directly or put a
person in contact with a person who can assist them. However, the person may need to return the
favor at some point. The question that arises then is if the advantages of professional networking
are greater than the shortcomings (Bodell & Hook, 2017).
Professional networking is vital to me since it can assist me in securing a job quickly.
Today, the majority of jobs are acquired online. For instance, Yale University and Cornell
University cite BLS when making 70% of all job opportunities found via professional
networking. The Human resource department at hospitals and other health care institutions thrive
on employee referrals. Employee referral programs are the most aggressive forms of professional
networking in their country. Based on the experience that I have, professional networking has
been one of the best networks for people looking for jobs. By using professional networking, one
can easily land a job and expand the network of employees. With professional networking, you
meet like-minded people who have the same struggles as you and gain insights into how the
fields are changing (Kim & Malek, 2018).

PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING 3
Many social media tools are available for care experts, including social network
platforms, blogs, micro blogs, wiki and media sharing sites, among others. These platforms are
used to enlighten and enhance professional networking, educate, promote organizational
products, and improve patient care. Social media has potential risks to patients in regards to the
distribution of information, damage of professional image, branches of patient privacy, increased
violation of professional boundaries and in the licensure of legal matters. Several organizations
have given guidelines on how to keep off from the risks posed by social media. However, there
have been questions regarding the utilization of social media if it is efficient enough to be used
by the patients (Pershad, Hangge , & Albadawi, 2018).
Health information found on social media and other online risks have several limitations and
health risks to the patients including;
Poor quality info-some of the information found on social media and a related online
source is not reliable and is of poor quality. The authors are sometimes unknown and
unqualified. The information posted on social media sources may also be meant to damage the
professional image of other experts or institutions hence not fit for the patients. Utilization of
social media also poses a significant danger since there are HCPs who interact with patients on
social media on most occasions, and violate the patient-HCPP boundary. I would, therefore,
advice the patient not to be keen on any healthcare information posted on social media since it
can affect their health and that of their family members (Moorhead, 2018).

PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING 4
References
Bodell, S., & Hook, A. (2017). Using Facebook for professional networking: a modern-day
essential. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74(12), 588-590.
Kim, W., & Malek, K. (2018). Social networking sites versus professional networking sites:
Perceptions of hospitality students. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality &
Tourism, 17(2), 200-221.
Moorhead, S. A. (2018). Social media for healthcare communication. In Oxford Research
Encyclopedia of Communication, 45(5), 34-56.
Pershad, Y., Hangge , P. T., & Albadawi, H. (2018). Social medicine: Twitter in healthcare.
ournal of clinical medicine, 7(6), 121.