It is not news to anyone that social media is becoming a huge part of our lives. As paramedic students it is only natural that we want to communicate various things that we have learned and experiences we have had on placement to our friends and family through these mediums. Whilst it is important to talk about these things, social media is a public forum and it is important that we are aware of just how easy it can be to slip up and breach patient confidentiality, or offend people not initiated into the health care world.
With this in mind the Royal College of Nursing Australia (RCNA) has released some social media guidelines for nurses, which apply equally to paramedics and paramedic students on placement. The full document can be downloaded here or at the end of this article, but i have summarised the main points:
