News Feature | November 12, 2014

How Social Media Can Advance Your Career

Katie Wike

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

Social Media Marketing For VARs and ISVs

A recent survey shows many nurses and physician assistants credit social media with helping them further their career.

“Could you get a better job if you networked on LinkedIn? Attract more patients by promoting your practice on Facebook? Be the first person to know about drug recalls that affect your patients from Twitter?”

These are all questions Clinical Advisor attempts to answer, based on a survey of 350 nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Through August and September of this year, Clinical Advisor asked these participants about how they used eight well-known social media services: Facebook, Google+, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Doximity.

According to iHealth Beat, the survey found about 45 percent of those surveyed used social media for career purposes:

  • 28 percent of respondents said social media had helped their career
  • 13 percent said they were unaware how social media affected their career
  • 12 percent said social media had not actively helped their career
  • None said social media had negatively affected their career

According to Fierce Healthcare, 42 percent of those surveyed worked in office settings, 18 percent working in standalone clinics, 16 percent were employed by hospitals, and 7 percent worked in walk-in or ambulatory clinics. The majority, 88 percent of respondents, were women and 70 percent were NPs.

Of those participants that used social media as a business tool:

  • 48 percent of respondents used LinkedIn
  • 36 percent used Google+
  • 26 percent used Facebook

“The bottom line is that while social media can be a great tool for promotion and is an accessible way to reach patients, it can also be dangerous if employees aren’t aware of regulations,” reported Health IT Outcomes. “Teach your employees the importance of HIPAA and privacy rules and keep track of social media posts and reviews of your practice in order to avoid the consequences of bad social media.”