According to Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), “Nursing informatics (NI) is defined as the specialty that integrates nursing science with multiple information management and analytical sciences to identify, define, manage, and communicate data, information, knowledge, and wisdom in nursing practice. NI supports nurses, consumers, patients, the interprofessional healthcare team, and other stakeholders in their decision-making in all roles and settings to achieve desired outcomes. This support is accomplished through the use of information structures, information processes, and information technology.
Along with the advancement of technology, the delivery of nursing education has evolved as well; social media has become an outlet for patient and nursing education. Social sites such as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram are currently being used as educational platforms, allowing the exchange of educational information and knowledge worldwide. Schmitt (2012) states “Social media is a platform that can assist nursing faculty to help students gain greater understanding of communication, professionalism, healthcare policy, and ethics.” YouTube and Instagram users such as Novice is the New Nurse, Nurse Mike from Simple Nursing and Nurse Mo use these platforms to discuss a wide range of topics that are relatable to the experiences that nurses encounter daily. These topics include clinical skills such as how to start an IV, how to remove a Foley and pharmacology.
Advantages of using social media as an educational resource include, alternative methods of teaching and engaging students, opportunities for enhanced distant education, and increased accessibility for educational resources. Although there are many advantages from the use of social media for educational purposes, consumers must also be aware of disadvantages such as unreliability. Credibility plays an important role in nursing practice; therefore, it is essential that the information received is sound for safe patient care.
In conclusion, about 80% of Americans use social media daily. With the use of social media as an educational platform, information is readily available with the click of a button anywhere at any time. Professors of nursing schools are beginning to utilize YouTube videos and other social media host to engage students while helping them grasp intricate concepts and clinical skills. While completing my associate degree, social media played an immense role in my clinical and educational learning. Users such as Nurse Mike from Simple Nursing and Novice is the New Nurse provided words of encouragement during my journey while explaining in simple terms the concepts that were once difficult for me to grasp. Nursing school has taught me that I am not a traditional class learner, I learn from seeing and listening to content repetitively. Therefore, I believe the use of social media is important to nursing education. Social media provides an alternative method of learning for the students who need additional educational resources in combination with traditional classroom learning.
REFERENCES:
Schmitt, T. L. (2012). Social Media Use in Nursing Education. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 17(3). Retrieved October 13, 2018, from http://ojin.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol-17-2012/No3-Sept-2012/Social-Media-in-Nursing-Education.html
What is Nursing Informatics? (2017, February 23). Retrieved from https://www.himss.org/what-nursing-informatics
