SOCIAL MEDIA DOs
Using social media for the right reasons can help you personally and professionally.
Relieve stress. How many times have experts told us to reach out when we’re feeling stressed? [link to “medical reasons why nurses eat their stress.”] Sometimes your non-nurse friends just won’t “get it,” and that’s where social media can help you. It’s a great way to connect with fellow nurses and find the validation you need from those who have the same daily experiences that you do.
Nurse and blogger Sean Dent attests, “This is the one place where we nurses can feel less ‘alone’. Don’t misinterpret my word choice here: When I say ‘alone,’ I mean we can rest easy knowing we are not the only ones feeling a certain way, having that kind of day, wondering why this or that happens, etc. It’s a way to share our triumphs and tragedies. We can get that ‘thing’ off our chest by ‘venting’ or just telling our side of the story. The great part is we can talk, chat and communicate with others who have walked in our shoes, are walking in our shoes or will be walking in our shoes.”
There are safe, enjoyable ways to engage fellow nurses online to enrich your professional life, including blogs written by nurses, Facebook pages curated by nursing school alumni, Twitter feeds by maintained by recruiters…the list goes on and on. The point is there’s something out there that will speak to every nurse.
