As a health care professional you always have in the back of your mind of what you need to do, how to do it, and whether it is the right thing to do. Through completing assignments and research, and having powerful discussions with classmates I have had a lot of reflection into who I am as a person and a professional, and how it relates to my role as a registered nurse (RN) within the health care system.
I have always been fairly weary about what I post or share on social media, but I have definitely become more so since entering in a leadership role. Health care professionals are certainly held to a higher standard, and therefore need to be all the more cautious of what their online presence looks like. As an RN in Newfoundland and Labrador I am held liable to the people I care for via my regulatory body, The College of Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador (CRNNL). “Establishes and maintains standards for nursing practice that support RNs and NPs to provide safe, competent, and ethical nursing care” (CRNNL, 2014). As a part of that ethical care, the CRNNL provides information on social media for health care professionals. It never occurred to me to ever add a patient as a friend on social media, post about my work, provide health care advice, or to share anything untoward. Yes, I have coworkers on social media and some of them have posted or shared things that I thought “oh you shouldn’t do that”. Through research and discussions I have also realized that social media does have a positive side in relation to health care in the way of keeping people up to date on current research, events, and to guide people to accurate medical information.
As my professional identity means a lot to me, I will do anything in my power to keep my identity and uphold what value are important to me. The professional standards (CRNNL, 2013) as outlined by the CRNNL truly speak with who I am as a professional:
Standard 1 ‐ Responsibility and Accountability
Standard 2 ‐ Knowledge Based Practice
Standard 3 ‐ Client Centred Practice
Standard 4 ‐ Professional Relationships and Leadership
I always want to be seen as I intend to work: being accountable for my actions, no matter what they may be, always strive to work at the highest quality and evidence based practice, always put my patients first and fight for them, and maintain professionalism.
As a registered nurse, I fit well within many areas of the health care system. According to The Canadian Center for Health Information: there are as many as 439,975 regulated nurses within Canada as of 2019. (CIHI, 2020). There are RN’s working within almost every corner of the health care system in a variety of exciting and dynamic roles. As a leader within my program (Cardiac and Critical Care) I strive to always set the standard and practice what I preach. It can be difficult to work within a health care system where you always put your best work forward, and you feel like you have such a small voice. Working as collaborative team with other health professionals makes me proud to be a nurse and proud to provide quality, equitable care to my patients.
Over the last few weeks I have learned so much about myself, about health care in Canada, including barriers and current states, and about other health care professionals in other jurisdictions. These discussions and assignments have helped me to take a hard look at who I am as a leader and the care I provide. The trust that the public have in health care professionals is an honor, and I am so proud to work as a registered nurse and to collaborate with all the wonderful people in my MHST601 class.
Dcdesign. (2020, November 18). Standards & Code of Ethics. Retrieved February 02, 2021, from https://www.crnnl.ca/standards-code-ethics
Nursing in Canada, 2019. (n.d.). Retrieved February 02, 2021, from https://www.cihi.ca/en/nursing-in-canada-2019#:~:text=The%20total%20supply%20of%20regulated%20nurses%20in%20Canada,registered%20psychiatric%20nurses%20and%20127%2C097%20licensed%20practical%20nurses.
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