Nursing Students Using Twitter as Part of an Educational Actiivity
Social media rapidly disseminates information but is a controversial learning platform in nurse education because of concerns about professional behaviour.
However, social media use is growing and this study aimed to explore how students viewed the use of social media in the first year of a nursing degree.
The aim of this study was to compare first year student nurses’ use of social media, before and after commencing a pre-registration programme, where Twitter was used in one module.
Students undertook a teaching activity that included the use of Twitter. The survey was used post the activity for students to self-assess changes in their use of social media since starting the nursing degree.
A quantitative approach using a cross-sectional descriptive survey was completed. An anonymous online survey, that included a variety of Likert scale and open questions, was open for one month in 2016.
Ethical approval was gained through the University ethics committee
All students who were in the first year of a nursing degree were invited to take part. Students invited included those on degrees leading to registration as Adult, Child or Mental Health nurses.
There was a response rate of 32% with 121 students taking part in the survey. Students' main social media platform before joining nursing was Facebook with Instagram following. The students' use of Twitter increased during the nursing programme and seems to be associated with using this for the teaching activity.
Students were generally positive about using social media. Students reported that social media was an engaging way to promote discussion but it was mainly used as an information sharing tool. Many students continued to use Twitter after the initial session as a method to gain information but it seemed to increase their awareness of professional accounts (such as RCN) that could be accessed for information. Time was an issue which made it difficult to engage with the medium. Students also did not understand the hashtag function and were influenced by the enthusiasm and commitement of lecturers and peers.
Social media is a useful strategy within nurse education and is a novel approach that students enjoy. The use of Twitter has increased within the School on Nursing and is now used for occasional Twitter chats and other discussions. The use of any social media needs clear purpose and engagement from those involved whilst being mindful of the professional concerns. Within the School we continue to consider how students, and staff, can engage with social media positively and meaningfully throughout the learning context.