Spotlight on Social Media
Embracing social media to raise the profile of practical nursing in Ontario.
Blogs
Facebook
YouTube
Twitter
LinkedIn…
Unless you’ve been living on the moon
for the last few years, odds are you’re fa-
miliar with at least a few of the above
terms. They are just a few examples of
the social media tools that are having
a profound impact on the way millions
around the world (including nurses) are
sharing information.
Think social media is just for teens and
20-somethings? Think again.
In January 2009, when a US Airways
plane with 155 people on board ditched
in the Hudson River, it was social media
that broke the story. People in the vicin-
ity of the downed jetliner were shooting
videos and snapping photos with their
smartphones and posting them online.
Twitter was abuzz with messages about
the crash landing. It took the main-
stream media nearly 30 minutes to re-
port on the story.
When Iran’s presidential elections in
June 2009 led to violent riots, protesters
used Twitter to organize demonstrations
and tell the world what was happening.
At a time when the mainstream media
was prevented from covering the story
on the ground, graphic images of state-
sponsored violence were broadcast to the
world via cell phones.
These are just two of thousands of ex-
amples of how social media has funda-
mentally changed the way people share
information today.
Recognizing the significant communica-
tions potential offered by these tools, RP-
NAO incorporated a social media element
into its ongoing profile and awareness-
building initiatives in 2009. “Social media
provides us with a very fast and efficient
way to facilitate two-way conversations
with our members and other stakehold-
ers,” said Dianne Martin, RPNAO execu-
© 2010 RPNAO - Originally published in the Winter 2010 issue of The RPN Journal.
by Warren Weeks
For RPNAO’s part, during a few weeks
in January 2010 alone, the association
used social media tools to: highlight the
great work of RPNs who have received
awards; share letters to the editor and
media coverage from around the prov-
ince; and reinforce the importance of the
role of the practical nurse in Ontario’s
health care system.
Going forward, these tools will continue
to play an important role in the way RP-
NAO communicates with its members and
other stakeholders, including the media,
government officials, other nursing orga-
nizations and health care administrators.
Said RPNAO’s Martin: “Social media
tive director. “Several years ago, if you
provides a great way for RPNs and prac-
had something important to communi-
tical nursing students to stay informed
cate, you had to send out scores of let-
about their profession and the issues af-
ters that took days or weeks to arrive. You
fecting it. We would encourage all of our
had to convince the local media that your
members to follow RPNAO on Facebook
story was worth telling. Now, thanks to
and Twitter. And, as always, we would
tools like Facebook and Twitter, we have
love to hear their thoughts, suggestions
an opportunity to be the media and com-
and insights as well.”
municate directly and instantly with our
key audiences. It really is quite amazing.”
One year ago, RPNAO had about 300 New to social media?
followers on its Facebook group. Today,
that is approaching 1,600. By belonging Here’s a quick primer on some of
to this group, followers can easily stay the most popular tools out there:
up-to-date on things like the latest H1N1 Blogs – web pages easily
updates for RPNs, wage discussions across updated by a group or indi-
the province, job opportunities, upcom-
vidual to share information
ing events and educational issues. The
RPNAO Facebook group is also a forum on a certain topic.
for RPNs and practical nursing students to Facebook – a social net-
collaborate and share information with
working site where users
one another.
interact with “friends,”
Said Robert Fraser, a registered nurse
and social media expert, “With social share links, photos, videos,
media, we’re seeing a shift in the way etc. (www.facebook.com or
we share information and I think this is Google “RPNAO on Face-
something that nurses can’t ignore. It has book” to join our group)
enhanced the ability of nurses to share in-
formation with one another.” LinkedIn – a business-
Fraser said he used Twitter to ask how oriented networking site;
other nurses were checking nasogastric Facebook for professionals
tubes. In short order, he received more (www.linkedin.com).
than 20 responses from a wide variety
of nurses. One from the United States Twitter – microblogging
even sent Fraser some research papers on and social networking
a related topic. service that lets users send
“This is just one example,” said Fraser, and receive text messages
“but you need that community to take of up to 140 characters in
part in order for this kind of thing to length (www.twitter.com).
happen. I’m trying to get nurses to think
creatively about how these tools can be YouTube – a site for up-
useful for them in their roles and to get loading or viewing video
involved and participate.” clips (www.youtube.com).