Recommendations for health care educators on e-professionalism and student behavior on social networking sites

Figures & data

Table 1 E-professionalism concerns and recommendations for educators

Reference	Proportion of respondents who agreed to statement (%)						Recommendations for educators of health care students
Respondent group	Cain et al^Citation32 (n=454)	Ness et al^Citation33 (n=212)	Ness et al^Citation23 (n=21 2)	Cain et al^Citation31 (n=244)	Hall et al^Citation22 (n=569)	Prescott et al^Citation21 (n=91)
	US residency directors	US pharmacy undergraduates	US pharmacy undergraduates	US pharmacy undergraduates	UK pharmacy undergraduates	UK pharmacy undergraduates
Online professionalism
1. I would want guidance sessions/ guidelines on the impact of social networking on online professionalism as a health care professional	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	68%	Educators should teach students about e-professionalism and help them understand how SNSs can impact e-professional ism
2. What happens on SNSs like Facebook is separate from what happens in school	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	53%	Educators should advise students against having a double standard regarding their health professional image online and in reality, but also help them understand that it is not always easy to distinguish personal and professional identities on SNSs
3. Health care professional students should be held to higher accountability regarding their online image on SNSs than other non-health care professional students	72%	54%	NA	69%	NA	NA
4. I would want a faculty member “friend” on SNSs (eg, Facebook/Linkedln)	NA	40%	NA	39%	NA	NA	Educators should maintain the professionalism of the teacher- student relationship on SNSs
Fitness to practice and employability
5. Students’ behavior on SNSs can/should impact fitness to practice	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	83%	Educators should make their students aware that their behavior on SNSs may impact their fitness to practice
6. Employers should consider the profile information of potential employees when hiring	77%	55%	55%	43%	27%	NA	Educators should raise the awareness among students regarding their online profiles and the information that they post online, as this information will affect others’ opinion of them as a health care provider, including that of potential employers
7. Information posted online (eg, photo, message, joined a group, status updates) will affect people’s opinion of me as a health care provider	79%	69%	45%	73%	NA	51%
8. I have posted information online (eg, photo, message, joined a group, status updates) that 1 feel embarrassed about and would not want a potential employer/faculty member/patient to view	NA	32%-A6%	37%	32%-36%	45%	26%	Educators should remind students to exercise restraint when posting information that they will feel embarrassed about or not want a faculty member, patient, or potential employer to see
9. I am aware of what is classified as unacceptable/unprofessional behavior by regulating bodies (eg, school, health professional body)	NA	NA	NA	NA	71%	90%-95%	Educators should ensure that students are aware of guidelines and policies on unacceptable/unprofessional behavior on social media
Online privacy
10. I use the privacy settings on Facebook to limit public access to my information							Educators should advise students to use the privacy settings on SNSs to limit public access to their personal information, but also remind them not to fully rely on the privacy settings
Accountability online	NA	96%	66%	79%	93%	85%
11. Students should be accountable for illegal acts on SNSs	93%	78%	64%	69%	NA	70%	Educators should teach students to be responsible for their online activity by accepting accountability for illegal acts and/or unprofessional behavior online
12. Students should be accountable for unprofessional behavior on SNSs	86%	57%	61%	55%	NA	52%

Notes: Copyright © 2010. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy. Adapted from Cain J, Scott DR, Smith K. Use of social media by residency program directors for resident selection. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2010;67(19): 1635–1639.³² Copyright © 2013. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education. Adapted from Ness GL, Sheehan AH, Snyder ME, Jordan J, Cunningham JE, Gettig JP. Graduating pharmacy students’ perspectives on e-professionalism and social media. Am J Pharm Educ. 2013;77(7):146.³³ Copyright © 2014. American Pharmacists Association (APhA). Adapted by permission of APhA. From Ness GL, Sheehan AH, Snyder ME. Graduating student pharmacists’ perspectives on e-professionalism and social media: qualitative findings. J Am Pharm Assoc (2003). 2014;54(2):138–143.²³ Copyright © 2009. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education. Adapted from Cain J, Scott DR, Akers P. Pharmacy students’ Facebook activity and opinions regarding accountability and e-professionalism. Am J Pharm Educ. 2009;73(6):104.³¹ Copyright © 2013. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education. Adapted from Hall M, Hanna LA, Huey G. Use and views on social networking sites of pharmacy students in the United Kingdom. Am J Pharm Educ. 2013;77(1):9.²² Copyright © 2012. The Pharmaceutical Journal Publications. Adapted from Prescott J, Wilson S, Becket G. Students want more guidelines on Facebook and online professionalism. Pharmaceut J. 2012;289:163.²¹

Abbreviations: NA, not applicable; SNS, social networking site.

Cain J, Scott DR, Smith K. Use of social media by residency program directors for resident selection. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2010;67(19):1635–1639.

 PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar

Ness GL, Sheehan AH, Snyder ME, Jordan J, Cunningham JE, Gettig JP. Graduating pharmacy students’ perspectives on e-professionalism and social media. Am J Pharm Educ. 2013;77(7):146.

 Web of Science ®Google Scholar

Ness GL, Sheehan AH, Snyder ME. Graduating student pharmacists’ perspectives on e-professionalism and social media: qualitative findings. J Am Pharm Assoc (2003). 2014;54(2):138–143.

 Web of Science ®Google Scholar

Cain J, Scott DR, Akers P. Pharmacy students’ Facebook activity and opinions regarding accountability and e-professionalism. Am J Pharm Educ. 2009;73(6):104.

 PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar

Hall M, Hanna LA, Huey G. Use and views on social networking sites of pharmacy students in the United Kingdom. Am J Pharm Educ. 2013;77(1):9.

 Web of Science ®Google Scholar

Prescott J, Wilson S, Becket G. Students want more guidelines on Facebook and online professionalism. Pharmaceut J. 2012;289:163.

 Google Scholar