Social media and eprofessionalism in pharmacy students.
Year: 2018
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Background: Literature suggests inappropriate use of social media (SoMe) is evident amongst undergraduate (UG) pharmacy students with a lack of understanding of potential implications for their fitness to practise (FtP). There is a need for guidance which will be acceptable and directly applicable to UG pharmacy students. Methods: Activity-based focus groups were conducted with UG pharmacy students, informed by existing literature and a previous study by the research team. The topic guide formed the framework for thematic data analysis. Ethical approval was gained. Results: Four focus groups were conducts with 32 students across all 4 stages of the MPharm course. The majority of participants did not use SoMe guidelines despite daily SoMe use, but used personal judgement to decide on appropriate SoMe content. Some elements of existing guidance were seen as valuable but lacked balance of content/tone and examples of appropriate SoMe behaviours. There was no agreement on 'appropriate behaviours' however concerns emerged around guidance impinging personal personas and impacting perceptions of e-professionalism. Conclusion: Guidelines for UG pharmacy students should address concerns surrounding eprofessionalism and include examples of good practice. They should contain clear 'points for practice' in a simple, user-friendly format alongside a lecture or video presentation. Whilst students were aware of profession-specific guidance, student-specific guidance was viewed as beneficial to support undergraduate students, in particular with the blurred boundaries between personal-professional personas.
Authors: Alyson Brown, Katie MacLure
Language: English
Subfield: Health
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2954988407