Paige Twenter – Becker’s Clinical Leadership
As nurse influencers collectively reach more than 1 billion followers, social media holds vast potential for nursing leaders to attract and retain nurses, according to research published in The Journal of Nursing Administration.
To learn about social media’s recruitment capabilities, faculty and alumni from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing surveyed 812 RNs and APRNs about how they used social media. Activities on sites such as Facebook and TikTok were placed into five categories: direct patient care, advocating/influencing, employment-related pursuits, professional association connections and research/evidence-based practice.
Across Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok, most nurses use these platforms to advocate/influence and for employment activities, such as networking or job searching.
The nurses were also asked about their job satisfaction and intent to leave their role or organization. Six in 10 respondents said they were satisfied or very satisfied, and a slight majority said they plan to stay in their current role or organization.
With national nurse turnover rates hovering between 23% and 28%, nurse leaders should tap into social media’s power, the researchers said.
“Findings from this study explain the need for nurse leaders to adopt a strategic, data-informed approach to social media, leveraging its potential to attract and retain a diverse workforce rather than simply viewing social media as something that they should teach new nurses the do’s and don’ts of at orientation,” lead author Heather Nelson-Brantley, PhD, RN, said in a statement.
Nurse leaders can use the platforms to promote the profession, attract nurses to specific organizations, elevate accurate health-related information and foster health policy discussions, the researchers said in conclusion.
