Social networking policies in nursing education

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Digital Health
• Professional Ethics

Background:

• Social networking use has surged, creating a gap between nursing practice and education.
• Limited research exists on social networking policies specifically within nursing education.
• Existing literature covers appropriate social media use but not policy implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess current social media usage by nursing faculty and students.
• To determine the perceived need for social networking policies in nursing education.
• To investigate differences in perceptions between students and faculty regarding social media policies.

Main Methods:

• A survey was administered to 273 nursing students and 33 nursing faculty members.
• Inferential statistics, including chi-square, Fisher exact test, t-test, and General Linear Model, were employed.
• Cronbach's alpha was used to evaluate the internal consistency of social media scales.

Main Results:

• Significant associations were found between groups and social media usage items (χ²).
• Students and faculty differed significantly in perceptions of policy effectiveness and discipline (t-test, P < .05).
• General Linear Model revealed significant differences related to unprofessional posts and policy adherence based on class level.

Conclusions:

• Both nursing students and faculty strongly support the development of a social networking policy.
• Findings highlight the need for institutional guidelines to address social media use in nursing education.
• Clear policies can help mitigate risks associated with unprofessional online conduct.