Professionalism and Creating an Online Presence

In today's digital world, having a well-managed online presence is key to advancing your career. Reflecting on my professional identity, values, and role within the healthcare system has helped me create a strategic approach to managing my social media profiles. This not only boosts my online presence but also positions me as a leader in my field.

Defining My Professional Identity

As an Ethics Officer with the Health Research Ethics Board of Alberta, I aim to embody professionalism, accountability, and ethical integrity. My goal is to be recognized as a dedicated and knowledgeable professional who upholds the highest standards of ethical conduct. By staying current with relevant regulations and continuously seeking professional development opportunities, I strive to remain at the forefront of my field.

Upholding Professional Values

My professional values are rooted in accountability, integrity, and continuous learning. Even though I'm not governed by a professional body, I am accountable to my local union, my organization, and my personal ethics. My employer's Standards of Practice require that I represent the company professionally, even off duty. This includes adhering to regulations such as the Tri-Council Policy Statement 2, Health Information Act, and Good Clinical Practices. Additionally, my membership in the Society of Clinical Research Associates (SOCRA) provides guidance on professional expectations and development.

My Role Within the Healthcare System

My role is on the periphery of the Healthcare System as it is a regulatory board that oversees the ethical conduct of research involving human participants. In my role, I collaborate with a diverse group of professionals, including doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, dentists, dermatologists, teachers, students, statisticians, police officers, lawyers, and pharmaceutical companies. This collaboration is essential for reviewing health research and ensuring ethical standards in research are met. The diversity of expertise and knowledge ensures that we see the ‘big picture’ and are not stuck in one way of thinking. By fostering inter-professional interactions, I aim to contribute to knowledge sharing, creativity, and idea generation within the research ethics community and the healthcare system.

Developing a Professional Social Media Presence

A strategic social media presence is crucial for both personal and professional growth. It should reflect a persons core professional values and act as a catalyst to assist in networking and collaboration. Although I'm not yet an avid content poster, I prioritize curating intentional, relevant, respectful, and valuable content. My key considerations for an appropriate social media presence include:

• Avoiding controversial or inappropriate material

• Keeping personal content private and appropriate professional content public

• Regular monitoring of content to ensure appropriateness and that privacy settings are maintained

I hope to create a space that celebrates and promotes the research community while also showcasing the works in progress.

Ethical Standards in Social Media

Maintaining integrity, respect, confidentiality, and responsibility is vital when using social media. Following workplace guidelines for professional social media engagement and also being inclusive and welcoming are essential components of an online presence, making it a bit of a balancing act. Following the adage of ‘when in doubt, leave it out’ should be in the back of my mind when curating content. It is also crucial to avoid sharing confidential or non-public information. I would also add that one must be very careful posting personal opinions in a professional space. Subjectivity and keyboard vigilante behaviour does not maintain professional ethics and can lead to trouble with your workplace or professional body. The internet is forever. Be careful what content is posted.

Speaking Up Against Wrongdoing

In our professional lives, we may need to speak up against wrongdoing, injustice, or unethical behavior. To do so effectively, we must follow professional standards and codes of ethics, use personal judgment to determine when to speak up, and consider the potential impact and consequences. The rule "Praise in Public, Criticize/Correct in Private" is a valuable guideline (this works for children too). I have worked in many places and been privy to sensitive information. As much as we want to advocate, we must be careful to keep sensitive information private. We do not want to cause unintentional harm when our goal is to help.

By purposefully curating and intentionally sharing content, we can ensure that our professional social media presence aligns with our values and supports our career growth and professional development. My hope is to create a space that is welcoming, fosters networking, share’s valuable resources and content and promotes my profession by highlighting how far we have come and how far we still must go.

Resources

Alberta Innovates. (2021). THE GAMECHANGER HANDBOOK- A Helpful Guide for employees. Retrieved from [https://intranet.albertainnovates.ca/content/19/new-employees].

Last edited 2025-01-30