Tracy's experience using social media negatively impacted her personal and professional life. Her ex-boyfriend, tutor, and potential employer saw unflattering photos and posts online. Nursing students and professionals must use social media carefully, as inappropriate use may affect their fitness to practice. The Nursing and Midwifery Council provides guidance stating online conduct in one's personal life must still meet professional standards. Students in breach of these standards could face disciplinary action through their university's fitness to practice procedure. The document advises reviewing privacy settings and using common sense when posting online to avoid unintended consequences.

1. Facing the consequences..
...a cautionary tale about the possible perils of using social networking sites.
...but what do others think?

2. The tutor...

3. The recently dumped boyfriend...

4. Then, just when Tracy thought it couldn’t get any worse...

6. Tracy’s mum...

7. A potential employer...

8. Facebook, and similar social networking sites such as mySpace, Bebo, Ning, etc... are great for starting and
maintaining relationships.
However, as illustrated above, such sites need to be used with care. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is
very clear that the inappropriate use of such sites by students and professionals may impact on their ‘fitness to
practice’. Pages 8 and 9 of the NMC (2009) Guidance on professional conduct for nursing and midwifery students
clearly identify the importance of behaviour and conduct both during your programme and in your personal life.
Specific reference is made to the use of social networking sites in this document on page 15 as well as the NMC
advice on their website (statement 18/11/08 “Your Code of Conduct applies to your personal life”.
Any student found in breach of this guidance will be subject to the Faculty of Health’s Fitness to Practice procedure.
This procedure can be found in your programme handbook. It is your responsibility to read and familiarise yourself
with the NMC’s guidance and behave in a professional manner at all times.
If you’re using any site where you are submitting personal details, make sure you’ve taken all the necessary
precautions to keep your identity safe from fraudsters - and use a bit of common sense when it comes to uploading
photos and/ or videos. Potential lecturers, employers, lovers, friends and/or family could look you up ...would they be
impressed with what they see? Do you really want to be easily stalked by the ex you’d rather forget?
When you initially sign up to Facebook the default privacy settings are public - your profile, photos, videos, status
updates... are open and available to anyone in the world - they don’t even have to be registered with Facebook
themselves! To change them log in and go to ‘settings’ at the top of the page and then select ‘privacy settings’.
Essential reading - see this Facebook Privacy Guide in pictures from the BBC (May 2010) and a new resource by
Facebook themselves to educate users on privacy.
Acknowledgements
All cartoons created using toonlet.com
Pages created by technologyenhancedlearning at the University of Plymouth, 2010