I think that social media is very important in today’s society. So what makes social media so attractive to the American public? To teachers and students? Parents?
1. What is your definition of social media?
I define social media simply as an outlet of information. I think that it involves multiple different forms of technology, such as the internet, that can be combined to gain insight into something that you may not understand. I think that it is also important to realize that social media is easily accessible and for that reason it can help you gain knowledge at a quicker pace, which in our society is something that can be very helpful. For example: this assignment was easily placed on the internet as a way for me to gain a knowledge base. Being able to read about how a podcast works in such a short period of time saves you time. I think that social media is very important to our society in that way because it is information that can be spread so very quickly that helps us gain knowledge and/or peaks our interest.
2. Have your thoughts on social media changed since you initially began this course? If so how?
I think that I do see a big difference in the way I view social media by taking this class, because I am able to see it for its educational values. I mostly used it to connect with people and look up things that peaked my interest, but now I find myself looking up nursing websites and checking out news for the nursing community. I think that with anything the more informed you are, the better you can understand it.
3. How can you use social media in your profession?
When giving patients discharge instructions we use Micromedix Care Notes. This gives patients quick access to information about the medications that they are going to be taking! The most important thing for me to stress to my patients is to be involved in their own healthcare! If you are more involved in taking care of yourself you are going to need the proper tools to help you address issues with your care providers! Having access to things such as MyMercy (an e-mail system set up between doctors and patients) can help keep you up to date on vaccines, lab tests, appointments which is all very important to keep you informed! I also use the online tool Up-To-Date to access information about diseases and disease processes to give patients this information at discharge! I believe that the more you know, the more you can try to help prevent health problems!