1. Nursing
I N D I A N A
QUA R T E RLY
i n d y s t a r . c o m /n u r s i n g
0 2 . 11
Nurses’ new tool:
SOCIAL
NET•
WORK•
ING
CAREERS & TRAINING:
Learning
while
healing
Your World Q&A:
Redd
Knotts

2. NURSES’ NEW TOOL
SOCIAL
ETWORKING
TWITTER FACEBOOK BLOG
STATUS UPDATE TWITPIC
SHARING
PODCAST YOUTUBE
TEACHING
8 Indiana Nursing Quarterly • indystar.com/nursing • Winter 2011

3. By Ashley Petry Cover Story
St. Vincent Patients at the St. Vincent Bariatric Center of Excellence
blog about their weight-loss experiences, and physicians at
Health has the St. Vincent Heart Center of Indiana create videos on
cardiovascular health.
17 Facebook For women’s health alone, the hospital system has a heavily
promoted “Health Tips 4 Her” blog, podcast series, Facebook
pages, five
page, Twitter account and online “ask us a question” feature.
Nurse practitioner Julie Schnieders, MSN, (pictured at left)
is the face of the women’s health project. Schnieders and the
Twitter accounts, marketing team are building a social media presence. Since
last February, her blog (www.3384her.com) has attracted more
a YouTube than 60,000 readers.
“As a nurse, I never thought this would be anything I would
channel and ever do,” said Schnieders, who spent more than 15 years in
private practice. “This was all totally new.”
countless blogs Social media tools, including blogs, podcasts and websites
like Facebook and Twitter, are making it easier for health care
that collectively
organizations to connect with patients and the community.
For nurses, this creates opportunities for job placement,
professional development, networking and — like Schnieders
address a range of — new job descriptions.
health issues. Social media as career coach | One key opportunity for
nurses: Social media has streamlined the job-search process,
making it easier to find listings and research employers. The
American Nurses Association’s Facebook page — which
has nearly 30,000 fans — includes a career center and other
resources for job seekers. Likewise, many individual health care
organizations are creating specific social media tools for the
same purpose.
Wishard Health Services, for
example, hired 110 nurses last
year. Its Facebook recruiting page
— Careers at Wishard Health
Services — has about 35 job
opportunities listed, along with
videos and event information. In
its first year, the page attracted
1,000 fans and reached half a
million impressions.
Among its features, the
website allows job hunters
to ask questions of hospital
officials, patients and other
employees who visit the site.
Continued on Page 10
Julie Schnieders’ 3384her.com site features a
popular blog, podcast series, Facebook page
and Twitter account.
MARC LEBRYK / Custom Publications
Indiana Nursing Quarterly • indystar.com/nursing • Winter 2011 9

4. Sites to get you started Continued from Page 9
Whether you’re a social media newbie or
a tweeting/blogging/podcasting veteran,
Once nurses land a job, social media tools p
check out these websites to gain
fresh insight into the ways health care opportunities for professional developmen
professionals are reaching patients.
“Our initial goal was to try to reach a Social media as community builder |
different demographic Perhaps the most valuable benefit of social
and diversify our applicant media is its ability to connect nurses and
pool,” said Tricia other health care professionals with patients.
Dierks, BSN, manager According to Brian Geyser, APRN-
of recruitment and BC, MSN, chief social media strategist
employment. “I think the for CareNetworks, the
applicants who come our ability to glean insight is
Dierks way already have positive unprecedented.
information to bring to a job interview.” “For health care
companies, social
Social media as support group| Once technologies allow them
nurses land a job, social media tools provide to engage in a dialogue
unprecedented opportunities for professional with consumers like never Geyser
development and networking. They also before,” he said. “Organizations can learn
make it easier for on-the-go nurses to keep what’s on consumers’ minds and adjust their
up with industry trends and discuss common product and service offerings accordingly.”
issues. Geyser saw a significant increase in 2010
On Twitter, nurses can post comments in the number of health care organizations
with a special hashtag — #RNchat — to using social media, despite lingering
connect with their peers. On the allnurses. concerns about HIPAA and other privacy
Children’s Hospital Boston com Facebook page, nearly 10,000 people issues.
www.childrenshospital.org join discussions about all things nursing, “In my experience, nurses in general tend
This one is the gold standard of from the stress of working long shifts to the to shy away from social media because they
social media in the health care latest developments in computer charting. fear the confidentiality and privacy issues,”
industry. It has nearly half a million The American Journal of Nursing has a he said. “That said, nurses who do engage in
Facebook fans and uses every Facebook page, Twitter feed, blog, YouTube the social mediasphere often act as experts
social media tool available. videos, podcasts and e-newsletter. Blog in a particular subject and may share their
topics have included “pain assessment in knowledge in forums, on YouTube or on
people with intellectual or developmental blogs. I think there is incredible potential for
disabilities” and “bullying among nurses to make an impact on the social web,
nurses.” just as they do in the physical world.”
“It’s another way of networking Bennett, whose blog tracks 10 Indiana
and connecting with your peers in hospitals that use social media, also has
different geographic observed a significant increase in online
locations by finding conversations related to health care. He sees
people who have health care professionals becoming integral
shared interests,” said in pointing people to accurate information.
Ed Bennett, director “As hospitals get less afraid of social
of Web strategy at media and less fearful that the world is
the University of going to come crashing down if they post
Maryland Medical Bennett something, they’re going to find a growing
Center, which maintains a blog about role for health care professionals in the
social media in the health care industry. curating of content,” Bennett said.
Found in Cache
http://ebennett.org
Mayo Clinic
http://socialmedia.mayoclinic.org Social media guru Ed Bennett maintains
this site, which tracks the online efforts of
The Mayo Clinic has been using
nearly 900 hospitals worldwide. It provides
social media since 2005 and has
links to 701 Facebook pages, 662 Twitter
more than 100,000 followers on
accounts and 431 LinkedIn accounts, plus
Twitter. Its new Center for Social
blogs and YouTube channels. If you want an
Media communicates the hospital’s
overview of what your peers are doing, this
hard-won expertise with other
is the place to go.
organizations.
10 Indiana Nursing Quarterly • indystar.com/nursing • Winter 2011

5. provide unprecedented
nt and networking.
For nurses, that means countless
opportunities to connect with patients —
and Schnieders is experiencing that impact
firsthand. In the past year, she has answered
more than 500 questions from patients
through her blog’s “ask us a question” feature.
She said patient questions run the gamut
and come from men, women and teens.
Many ask about topics they feel
uncomfortable discussing in face-to-
face appointments, such as panic attacks
and bladder control. Once, Schnieders
suspected a case of appendicitis and called
the patient right away to recommend
immediate medical care.
“It’s one of those things where we can really
relate to people,” she said. “That’s how people
are communicating. Health care is changing
and getting more expensive, so maybe simple
questions could be answered this way.”
But Schnieders emphasized that nothing
can replace the human touch.
“I would never say that this should replace
your relationship with your physician,” she
said. “No way.” ● Julie Schnieders, MSN, is helping St. Vincent Health build its online presence.
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Indiana Nursing Quarterly • indystar.com/nursing • Winter 2011 11

6. Cover Story
More sites to get you started
Social media do’s and don’ts
Across the globe, health care organizations are jumping on
the social media bandwagon, developing an array of tools to
connect with internal and external audiences.
And it’s no wonder: Launching a in the elevator,” Bennett said. “Just
Facebook page or Twitter account is free remember that the rules we’ve had in
and takes just a few minutes. But it’s not place for decades apply to social media,
quite that easy to do social media right. too.” A basic policy should establish
Before using these new tools, health expectations for employees’ use of social
care professionals must address specific media both on and off company time
issues: What’s the best way to connect and define the consequences for policy
with consumers? How do these efforts violations.
create value for the organization? And, ■ DO create a conversation. Online
perhaps most important, what policies and chats, Facebook discussion threads and
procedures should be in place to avoid other tools help patients connect
violating HIPAA and other patient- with one another and become
privacy regulations? word-of-mouth advocates
The prospect might seem for your organization.
daunting, but the payoff is worth Brian Geyser, APRN-
it — especially by connecting with BC, MSN, a social media
American Journal of Nursing patients one-on-one. Here, strategist, believes health
http://journals.lww.com/ajnonline industry experts share their care companies that only
tips for getting started. disseminate information
This site connects with readers
through a wide range of social media, are missing the point.
including podcasts and YouTube When using “It’s dialogue and sharing
videos. It offers an easy way to stay social media for that really make social media
on top of industry developments. professional networking: powerful,” he said.
■ DO use career-related sites ■ DO create guidelines for the
like LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com) and public that will foster positive
Smaller Indiana (www.smallerindiana. conversation. The Mayo Clinic’s
com) to network with your peers, participation guidelines call
including your co-workers and other for “a basic level of civility —
nurses from around the globe. disagreements are fine, but mutual
respect is a must, and profanity
■ DON’T ignore the networking
[and] abusive language are out of
possibilities of more casual sites
bounds.”
like Facebook (www.facebook.com).
Your third cousin or best friend from ■ DO have a system in place for
elementary school could be the one to managing inappropriate comments and
refer you to your next job. complaints about your organization.
■ DO assume that everything is public, ■ DO remind patients that your site is
including the photos you post on a public forum. As the Mayo Clinic’s
Facebook and the comments you make guidelines suggest, “Please remember
on Twitter. “Just use common sense,” that when you post a comment to a blog,
said Ed Bennett, a social media expert. it is published for the world to see.”
“Don’t say anything in these spaces that ■ DON’T create a social media outlet and
you wouldn’t want your boss to see.” then ignore it. Keep the material fresh
CareNetworks and give people a reason to come back.
http://carenetworks.com/blog When using social media to “Getting into social media is not a one-
This site specializes in social media connect with patients: time thing,” Geyser said.
strategy for long-term care and ■ DON’T worry too much about patient- ■ DON’T rush it. Establishing a mature and
home-care providers and features privacy issues. Just reinforce the meaningful online presence takes time.
a popular blog. Recent topics have standards you’re already following.
included “social media and HIPAA: “There’s nothing new and different ■ DON’T ignore opportunities. “The
what you need to know” and “seven about patient confidentiality that’s most important thing a company can
best social media tools for senior different from using a fax machine, do is realize that social media is here
living and long-term care.” talking on the telephone or talking to stay and to begin getting involved,”
Geyser said. ●
— Ashley Petry
12 Indiana Nursing Quarterly • indystar.com/nursing • Winter 2011