Including: Professionalism & Social Media Audit
Professional identity can be defined as a person’s professional self-concept and is based on beliefs, values, and experiences (Slay & Smith, 2010). The internalization of these factors is vital to the formation of a professional identity (Rose, Nies & Reid, 2017). In nursing, a professional identity is socially constructed through the adoption of certain norms, values, behaviours and beliefs, which largely underpin the professional behavior of nurses (Elliott, 2017). Prior to entering the profession, these adult learners also bring with them past experiences, worldviews, and personal and environmental factors which all contribute to the development of professional nursing values (Elliott, 2017).
What kind of professional identity do I want to have?
Prior to becoming a nurse, I already had certain personal values closely related to the nursing values set forth by the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA). Some of my personal values include integrity, altruism, care and compassion, although my drive to help others is what ultimately lead me to choosing nursing as a career.
Throughout my education, nursing values and the nursing code of ethics had been heavily emphasized on a regular basis, and this eventually led me to internalize them and behave accordingly. I live and practice by these values and to not practice accordingly would feel morally wrong. I could also potentially be sanctioned by my employer and the order of nurses of Quebec for not actively practicing by the nursing values and code of ethics.
In my opinion, nurses are expected to make-decisions and behave in a certain way due to the image of trust and professionalism they must maintain in order for the public to trust nurse to care for their health. That being said, the professional identity I choose to have is the one in which encapsulates all of the nursing values. You can view them here: https://sabprimiano.wixsite.com/mysite/blogs/professional-obligations
Extending Professional Identity & Values to Social Media and Professionalism
I am part of the order of nurses of Quebec - OIIQ (Ordre des Infirmieres et Infirmiers du Quebec). The OIIQ is a professional corporation whose primary function is to ensure the protection of the public, particularly by controlling the practice of the nursing profession by its members (‘Mission’, n.d). The OIIQ controls the practice of nursing within the work place as well as out of the work place, which includes social media platforms. You can see rules laid out by the OIIQ regarding professionalism and social media here: https://www.oiiq.org/medias-sociaux-et-pratique-infirmiere
Professional values and choosing how we wish to be seen by others extends to our personal activity on social media platforms. In my opinion, professionals should follow certain guidelines of ‘appropriateness’ when posting online because it reflects on who they are as a person and professional. Values and norms do not have a switch that can be turned on or off, they are generally internalized by individuals, therefore in any situation an individuals actions should align to their deeply held values and beliefs. Below are some guidelines that support and promote e-professionalism (Westrick, 2015):
1) Do not share any clinically related information about patients, families, working conditions, staff, colleagues, or incidents at clinical settings.
2) Consider professional boundary issues and do not contact patients or families you are caring for, or are likely to be caring for in the future.
3) Off-duty conduct is just as likely to be scrutinized and evaluated against professional standards.
4) Always consider your audience and the context of your postings because it is easy for others to misinterpret your meaning. Always stop and think before posting any information online.
What do you think? Should professional identity extend to online platforms?
References:
Mission. (n.d.). Retrieved January 13, 2018, from http://www.oiiq.org/lordre/qui-sommes-nous/mission
Elliott, A. M. (2017). Identifying professional values in nursing: An integrative review. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 12(3), 201-206. http://doi:10.1016/j.teln.2017.02.002
Rose, T., Nies, M. A., & Reid, J. (2017). The internalization of professional nursing values in baccalaureate nursing students. Journal of Professional Nursing, 1-6. http://doi:10.1016/j.profnurs.2017.06.004
Slay, H. S., & Smith, D. A. (2010). Professional identity construction: Using narrative to understand the negotiation of professional and stigmatized cultural identities. Human Relations, 64(1), 85-107. http://doi:10.1177/0018726710384290
Westrick, S. J. (2015). Nursing students use of electronic and social media: Law, ethics, and e-professionalism. Nursing Education Perspectives, 37(1), 16-22. http://doi:10.5480/14-1358