Socially visible midwives.

Social media are playing a bigger and bigger part in our personal lives and what's more they are now infiltrating our professional lives, too. Moving from just 'being on' social media to using social media effectively as a midwife, is a huge challenge that many midwives are facing. To be effective and to really utilise social media to their full potential, midwives need to consider role-modelling, leading, social capital, digital footprint, visibility and continuing professional development.

Introducing Twitter as an assessed component of the undergraduate nursing curriculum: case study.

Aims: To ask: (i) is it feasible to include Twitter as an assessed element of the first-year nursing curriculum; (ii) how should it be introduced and assessed; and (iii) do students think it worthwhile and learn anything from its use?

Background: Nursing students need to use social media professionally, avoiding pitfalls but using learning opportunities.

Design: This case study (2014-2015) comprised: (i) pilot introduction of Digital Professionalism (including Twitter) with second- and third-year students; (ii) introduction and assessment with a first cohort of 450 first-year students. Based on feedback, methods were revised for; (iii) a second cohort of 97.

Developing nursing leadership in social media.

Aim: A discussion on how nurse leaders are using social media and developing digital leadership in online communities.

Background: Social media is relatively new and how it is used by nurse leaders and nurses in a digital space is under explored.

Design: Discussion paper.

Nursing and Twitter: creating an online community using hashtags.

Social media is becoming a facet of our lives and a tool for connecting, uniting and supporting people. Its use is growing in nursing, medical and health settings. This article describes the process, development and growth of an online community to connect nurses via Twitter using hashtags.

How nurses can use social media professionally.

Nurses can use social networking sites for professional development. This article provides advice on using social media professionally and ensuring this usean complies with the code of conduct.