Social media offers a means for nurses in all areas of practice, and future nurses, to engage in discussions about the profession and healthcare on a global scale. While this puts new opportunities and information at our fingertips, social media must be used with professional judgement and in accordance with nursing regulatory standards. Nurse educators play a key role in shaping the responsible use of social media by nursing students. With this in mind, CASN has supported the development of two whiteboard animations that demonstrate how social media can support nursing practice. These videos were developed by Sarah Dinsdale, a nursing student at Western University, in consultation with the CASN Digital Health Nursing Faculty Peer Leaders. The CASN/Infoway Digital Health Nursing Faculty Peer Leader project is a joint-partnership designed to prepare the next generation of nurses to practice in a digital environment.

Part 1: Understanding modern-day first impressions: a student nurse’s story of social media use

Part 2: Guidelines for social media use: a student nurse’s story – being mindful of professional boundaries

CASN and the Digital Health Nursing Faculty Peer Leaders created a teaching activity that can support educators with using these videos in their classroom: Whiteboard Animation Learning Activity.

Additional teaching activities related to working in technology-enabled environments can be found in Consumer Health Solutions: A Teaching and Learning Resource for Nursing Education and the Nursing Informatics Teaching Toolkit.