Depending upon the platforms you access, social media can be either a source of entertainment and laughter or a swamp of divisiveness and useless hate-mongering. It’s also a two-way mirror, one in which you view and are viewed, and therein lies the risk for nurses and other healthcare professionals.
In a sea of memes, videos and quality content, Instagram can be a great time-waster or information overloader. Check out these eight accounts for very different results.
Inspirational Instagram Nurse Influencers
@nurseabnormalities:This is the Instagram account of Danielle LeVeck, DNP, ACNPC-AG, CNS, RN, CCRN. She is an ICU Nurse Practitioner, blogger, speaker, corgi owner, and much more. Not only does she post her own really funny memes, she also shares empowering and inspirational advice and stories from her nursing career. Bonus: She used BoardVitals to pass her acute care nurse practitioner exam!
@ashleyadkinsrn: This is the Instagram account of Ashley Adkins, BSN, RN, CCRN. She is an RN in a Medical-Surgical ICU. Not only is she a nurse, social media influencer, and young mother, she’s also an avid YouTuber.
@nursenacole: Nacole Riccaboni, BSN, RN, AGACNP-BC, FNP-BC is the mastermind behind this account. She used BoardVitals to pass her ANCC FNP Certification exam, but that’s not the only reason why we’re featuring her. Aside from her Instagram, she also has an active blog, hosts TWO podcasts, and a YouTube channel. In addition, she’s an autism mom to a little boy and a proud wife. Her content is mainly nursing lifestyle and nursing resource-focused.
@katybpnp: This Instagram account belongs to Katy B., RN. Katy works as a Pediatric Psych RN and she is a Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner student. She uses her account to share her nursing journey and serve as a resource to other like-minded healthcare professionals. She used to be a professional Polynesian dancer and she is a self-proclaimed cat lady.
@thekatieduke: This is the account of Katie Duke, ACNP-BC. She is a public speaker, mentor to NP students, editorial contributor, and a regular guest on TV segments. She’s all about delivering insights into her “empowered nurse” personality.
Nurse Meme Accounts That Will Make You Laugh
@snarkynurses: This account is run by three nurses who love their jobs but use humor to dissipate the trauma of the hard things clinicians encounter on a sometimes daily basis. They have a massive supply of hilarious and very relatable nursing memes. They also have an online store.
@nursesofinstagram: This account is run by Courtney Thibeault, DNP. Her account is filled with funny nurses memes because there is never enough memes and their a great way to relate with other like-minded folks. She partners with nursing brands frequently so it’s a great account to scope out discounts and giveaways too!
@fabulousrn1: If you’ve ever seen a nursing meme shared on another digital channel such as Reddit or Facebook, chances are it came from this account (look for the watermark). Although the content is 90% memes, the RN behind it occasionally posts about her own nursing journey. In one post she disclosed that the reason for creating this account was to help her cope with the extreme sadness she felt about the stroke patients she was caring for early on in her nursing career.
The Twitter universe offers up more variety and education. These accounts each offer something different that’s probably worth a sliver of your time.
@thenurseteacher: She keeps nurse education fun.
@theyoganurse: Say no more, it’s yoga to survive nursing.
@CapraGarrisonRN: Capra is the CEO of Pedagogy Inc. an online continuing education site for healthcare professionals.
@dbarrath: Debra Barrath, MN is an international coach and consultant with over two decades of healthcare experience. Nurse Journal says her feed is “full of healthcare and leadership related goodness”.
@OnlyintheICU: ICU RN, CCRN, and MSN student with a great sense of humor.
@absuRd_Nurse: A night shift murse that communicates mostly in hilarious GIFs.
Do you want to improve your mind, your career, and your life? Forbes suggests a list of Twitter feeds that includes the following:
- If you’re looking for the psychology of choice, leadership and diversity; Adam Grant, @AdamMGrant, a tenured organized psychology professor at Wharton College of the University of Pennsylvania and a New York Times Opinion writer.
- She Negotiates, @SheNegotiates, is a negotiating training and consulting and executive coaching firm that tweets their negotiating tactics and expertise for free for their followers.
- The Financial Diet @TFDiet discusses “financial honesty”, budgets and guides millennials on the best ways to save and spend money.
- Nieman Lab @NiemanLab fights fake news by rethinking journalism.
Forums
If social media isn’t for you, forums are a great place to listen and participates in professional conversations.
AllNurses: A robust forum where you can find answers and submit personal questions to your online colleagues facing similar daily challenges.
Healthcare Travelbook: Great resource for traveling healthcare professionals, and those considering traveling healthcare.
Nurse’s Cafe: A networking site for nurses of all specialties. This forum is notorious for honestly and openly tackles nursing issues of all types like “life after suspension” and “new nurse out of my depth”
Practice Safe Social Posting
Although it may seem obvious, there are the rules to follow when it comes to posting on social media in your role as a healthcare professional. Even though these are obvious, we all know that when a famous person or particularly bizarre patient case is presented, there are those who just can’t help themselves and post details on social media. That usually results in a loss of employment. It bears repeating that revealing the slightest detail or inference to a patient or patient condition is a HIPAA violation. Breaches of patient confidentiality or privacy can occur in many different ways on social media:
- Posting videos or photos of patients – even if they can’t be identified
- Posting photos or videos that reveal room numbers or patient records
- Descriptions of patients, their medical conditions, and/or treatments
- Referring to patients in a degrading or demeaning manner
The National Council of State Boards of Nursing offers a guide to social media use that provides all the details necessary to remain in compliance with HIPAA.
We’re not suggesting you avoid social media, far from it. It’s woven into the fabric of our daily lives. We are suggesting that you use it for information, networking, dissemination of helpful health information, and a few laughs. Stay as far away from any discussion of patients as humanly possible.
