This document discusses the use of social media in teaching undergraduate nursing students. It describes a lecturer's initial reluctance to use Twitter but finding success by starting with retweets and hosting a student Twitter chat. It led to resurrecting the school's nursing Twitter account with students curating it. Tips are provided for engaging students on social media, such as making content relevant, linking students to each other, and addressing issues respectfully. Benefits identified are developing skills in succinct writing, broader perspectives, networking, and preparing students for a digital future in nursing. The lecturer's work in this area is ongoing through research, conferences, and publications.

1. Using Social Media in
Teaching Undergraduate
Student Nurses
Wendy Sinclair
Lecturer in Children and Young People’s Nursing
University of Salford
@wlasinclair
#jiscexperts16

2. Surely its all Cats and Celebrities?

3. “I must be the only person not using Twitter”
(Wendy Sinclair, 2013)
• Student Nurse: ‘What’s
the best way to stay up
to date with current
nursing issues?’
• Me: ‘how about social
media?’
• Student Nurse: ‘blank
look’
• Me: ‘I’ll join twitter and
post interesting items’
• Student: ‘ermmm ok’

4. My First Tweet….
• Not brave enough to post anything personal so started with a
retweet
• Who on earth was listening? Would anybody read it? Was it worth
it? Could I follow students if they followed me?

5. • Nurses are bound by code of professional conduct (NMC 2015)
• Student nurses are are also bound by fitness for professional
practice university policy
• Role as a Fitness for Professional Practice investigator and panel
member - cases of misconduct using social media increasingly
common
Why was I so nervous? and
tweeting with such trepidation?

6. Contact with @WeNurses resulted in hosting a
‘student nurse’ twitter chat

7. @nursingSUni:
Partnership and Co-curation
• Following success of
twitter chat and massive
increase in followers of
personal accounts, school
nursing account
resurrected with different
focus

8. Blogging to reflect on the
experience of curation
Students or Staff curate the account for 1 week and then write
a blog reflecting on their experience

9. I’m trying to make the use of Social Media the
professional norm…
- Use social media as a communication
channel for students before they start
the programme
- Role model the use official media to
encourage safe and responsible use
- Tap in to an online community in your
field
- Create a module hashtag e.g. #icypn
and embed it on VLE
- Encourage tweeting in class to ask
questions, seek answers or different
perspectives.
- Bring the outside in, remove the
physical barriers of the classroom walls

10. Hints and tips for engagement
• Make sure everyone can use twitter!
Factor in a masterclass. Use buddies and
champions.
• Involve the students
• Make your tweets enjoyable and relevant
to current learning (pics from class, links to
further reading etc.)
• Always have photo and bio on your
account
• Don’t just broadcast, add value with a
conversation
• Be social….’Had a good week?’
• Be positive and praise students…. ‘great
point, good to see you tweeting about this!
:-)’
• Link students with others ‘ah
@anotherstudent may be interested in
that, they tweeted something similar’

11. Why bother?
• Students report developing a keen interest in broader perspectives and current issues
• Students report feeling more confident in the professional use of social media
• 140 character allowance develops the skill of writing succinctly
• Students may complain on social media…thats ok, its better than complaints that you
don't know about
• Students conversely show pride in their education
• Students develop ability to challenge respectfully
• Different balance of power & different mutual understanding
• Students report a faster response than email
• Assist students with networking for employability
• You may see student tweeting ‘inappropriately’ - learning opportunity
• It isn't all celebrities and cats, there is quality information, but students have filter
through it and develop their critical analysis skills

12. Progress…??
• PhD in progress ‘Do we need to worry about the professional conduct of nurses when
using social media?’
• Several module leaders using accounts and hashtags to support their modules #icypn
#mphal #eolcmod #svgmar13
• At least 50 curators of @nursingSUni including mainly students, but also staff.
• Lots of twitter followers and interactions
• Conference presentations in Amsterdam, Cardiff, Manchester, Sheffield, London and
many more
• 2 x social media conferences at Salford #SuSoMe #WGT16
• Development of national research in social media strategy
• Publications and citations
• #jisc50social
• VC Distinguished Teacher Award

13. What next?
The use of social
media and digital
technology will
become the norm and
prepare students for a
digital future in nursing
(and I don't mind if
cats and celebrities
join us!)

14. Thanks for listening!
any questions? any comments? any tweets?
@wlasinclair