Marcus A Henning1, Susan Hawken2, Joanna MacDonald3, Judy McKimm4,5, Menna Brown5, Helen Moriarty6, Sue Gasquoine7, Kwong Chan8, Jo Hilder6, Tim Wilkinson9. 1. a Centre for Medical and Health Sciences Education , University of Auckland , Auckland , New Zealand. 2. b General Practice and Primary Health Care , University of Auckland , Auckland , New Zealand. 3. c Department of Psychological Medicine , University of Otago , Wellington , New Zealand. 4. d College of Medicine, Swansea University , Swansea , UK. 5. e Swansea University Medical School , Swansea , UK. 6. f Department of Primary Health Care and General Practice , University of Otago , Wellington , New Zealand. 7. g New Zealand Nurses Organisation , Auckland , New Zealand. 8. h Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, School of Medicine , Queensland , Australia. 9. i MB ChB programme (Faculty of Medicine) , University of Otago , Christchurch , New Zealand.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To establish the most effective approach and type of educational intervention for health professional students, to enable them to maintain a professionally safe online presence. METHOD: This was a qualitative, multinational, multi-institutional, multiprofessional study. Practical considerations (availability of participants) led us to use a combination of focus groups and individual interviews, strengthening our findings by triangulating our method of data collection. The study gathered data from 57 nursing, medical and paramedical students across four sites in three countries (Aotearoa/New Zealand, Australia and Wales). A content analysis was conducted to clarify how and why students used Facebook and what strategies they thought might be useful to ensure professional usage. A series of emergent codes were examined and a thematic analysis undertaken from which key themes were crystallized. RESULTS: The results illuminated the ways in which students use social networking sites (SNS). The three key themes to emerge from the data analysis were negotiating identities, distancing and risks. Students expressed the wish to have material about professional safety on SNS taught to them by authoritative figures to explain "the rules" as well as by peers to assist with practicalities. Our interactive research method demonstrated the transformative capacity of the students working in groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our study supports the need for an educational intervention to assist health professional students to navigate SNS safely and in a manner appropriate to their future roles as health professionals. Because health professional students develop their professional identity throughout their training, we suggest that the most appropriate intervention incorporate small group interactive sessions from those in authority, and from peers, combined with group work that facilitates and enhances the students' development of a professional identity.
OBJECTIVE: To establish the most effective approach and type of educational intervention for health professional students, to enable them to maintain a professionally safe online presence. METHOD: This was a qualitative, multinational, multi-institutional, multiprofessional study. Practical considerations (availability of participants) led us to use a combination of focus groups and individual interviews, strengthening our findings by triangulating our method of data collection. The study gathered data from 57 nursing, medical and paramedical students across four sites in three countries (Aotearoa/New Zealand, Australia and Wales). A content analysis was conducted to clarify how and why students used Facebook and what strategies they thought might be useful to ensure professional usage. A series of emergent codes were examined and a thematic analysis undertaken from which key themes were crystallized. RESULTS: The results illuminated the ways in which students use social networking sites (SNS). The three key themes to emerge from the data analysis were negotiating identities, distancing and risks. Students expressed the wish to have material about professional safety on SNS taught to them by authoritative figures to explain "the rules" as well as by peers to assist with practicalities. Our interactive research method demonstrated the transformative capacity of the students working in groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our study supports the need for an educational intervention to assist health professional students to navigate SNS safely and in a manner appropriate to their future roles as health professionals. Because health professional students develop their professional identity throughout their training, we suggest that the most appropriate intervention incorporate small group interactive sessions from those in authority, and from peers, combined with group work that facilitates and enhances the students' development of a professional identity.
Authors: Pentti Nieminen; Eswara Uma; Shani Ann Mani; Jacob John; Marja-Liisa Laitala; Olli-Pekka Lappalainen Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-03-09 Impact factor: 3.390