Different Ways Nurses Communicate Online

Not too long ago, the term social media was virtually unknown, even to those who were internet savvy. Sites like Facebook and Twitter had yet come into existence, and the major hype of online communicating was email and instant messaging.

Today, online networking sites are being embraced not only by people looking to connect with friends and family, but by businesses and professionals, including those in the healthcare community.

Online networking sites help those in the healthcare community connect with those that might not have been possible before. Because these sites do not have geographical limits, they allow nurses and nursing students from around the world to link up. Also, these sites help nurses and nursing students find a place that shares similar interests, strengthening their global bond even more.

Check out the list below to see the different ways nurses are communicating online and why they are using online networking to talk to each other.

FACEBOOK
Facebook’s main draw is its ability for users to stay connected with people they know, lost touch with, or recently met while discovering pages that they can “like” that are specialized to their interests, hobbies, school, etc. This can be beneficial for those in the healthcare community because they can find their work organization or educational provider on Facebook and chat with those that “like” the page through wall postings, discussion boards, and sharing of photos, videos and links. On Rue’s Facebook page, for example, learners can find recent nursing news updates, special promotions, important information and the capability to speak with other nursing students interested in Rue or pursuing Rue’s learning systems.

TWITTER
While Facebook allows for more in-depth conversation, Twitter is a simple, streamlined form of communication. Users send out tweets of no more than 140 characters about what’s going on at that moment. For healthcare professionals looking for fast information about what’s going on in the healthcare world, Twitter is a great site.  Rue uses Twitter to direct its followers to nursing news sites, links to pages on the Rue website that may be relevant to its followers, and links to the Rue blog.

YOUTUBE
Taking social media a step further, YouTube offers users a way to watch videos posted from all over the world. Nurses and nursing students can search healthcare-related videos on this social media platform and comment on the video. During the June 2010 Twin Cities nursing strikes, Rue wrote an article about the strikes, including a link to a YouTube video showing the dedication, compassion and concern nurses had for their patients.

RUE MENTOR CONNECTION™
For nursing students using Rue learning systems, finding a community environment can be essential to their success as they work independently. The Rue Mentor Connection is a nursing student based, Excelsior graduate monitored online discussion forum where current nursing students and Excelsior graduates alike communicate. In addition, the discussion forum keeps nursing students connected and helps overcome the feeling of isolation some may encounter when working independently. This is your community, your connection, your mentors. The Rue Mentor Connection is where nurses can truly find out that independent learning is anything but independent!