Social Media Impacts on Nursing As technology advances in the medical profession have proven to have great benefit, this trend has also been seen in society in general. The interwoven aspects of human's ability to function and his or her ability incorporate technology largely dictates success of failure. Social media is a manifestation of technological advancement that, as a trend in the general public, has also affected the nursing profession and nursing education.

The purpose of this essay is to relate the trend of social media to the current status of nursing and patient education. This essay will suggest, as with any tool or piece of technology, the application of social media can be of great benefit if properly applied. This essay will explain how to best exploit social media for its worth, while minimizing the negative impacts of its potential abuse or misuse by suggesting strategies that may apply to this effort.

Social Media

Through any casual observation of society, the use of cell phone technology and internet-based communication has fully permeated society. Phones and computer gadgets are everywhere and serve both as benefactor and distracter. Social media, as a means to communicate ideas and knowledge through this technology has evolved as a popular and simple means of learning and expressing ideas and emotions. Social media is truly social and has impacted the means of formal education including medical and nursing curriculums as well.

These competencies include the idea of facilitating learning, functioning as a change agent and leader, and having the ability to function within the education environment. These competencies are directly impacted by the use of social media in many instances. Schmitt et al. (2012) defined social media as: " a platform that can assist nursing faculty to help students gain greater understanding of communication, professionalism, healthcare policy, and ethics. The key purpose of social media is engagement of others through electronic means, most often supported through internet sites or software. These are called social networking sites and involve people who 'follow' or are 'friends' with each other, meaning that people linked to a person can see his or her information and updates."
The very essence of learning is the ability to communicate abstract ideas to others. Learning however is also an individual process that requires self-awareness and determination. Social media assists in this method by allowing quick feedback from significantly large pools of human information and experience. The validity of the data acquired from social media presents its own problems and the need for intellectual discernment becomes obvious in the chaotic dimensions of cyber space and the internet. Tempering ethical purpose with application of technology becomes a challenge for the nursing education processes.

Strategies to Exploit Social Media

It is very important when applying strategic ideas to understand that technology and social media are merely tools to accomplish learning and not ends in themselves. Social media is powerful and respect for its ability is prerequisite…