Social Media in Health Care: A Guide to Creating Your Professional Digital Presence

A practical, essential guide to social media for health care professionals, Social Media in Health Care equips readers with the skills to build their online brand, share their professional knowledge with a wider audience, and become a trusted source of information and thought leader in their field.

Authors Mona Shattell, Melissa Batchelor, and Rebecca Darmoc explain the principles behind building a respected digital presence and developing meaningful online connections, while providing practical tips for navigating the five major social media platforms: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Everyone from health care students to the most seasoned professionals will benefit from the 3C’s Framework outlined in the book: Consume, Contribute, and Create.

Social Media in Health Care can be read cover to cover or used as quick reference guide. Topics include:

• Exercises for novice, intermediate, and advanced users
• Best practices for consuming, sharing, and creating content
• Tips for readers to build their social media presence and professional brand
• Recommendations for using digital platforms to expand professional networks
• Patient privacy concerns and how to avoid ethical pitfalls

Social media can start conversations and serve as an open line of communication between peers, the public, and patients. Social Media in Health Care guides members of the medical community in how to use social media to help educate the public and specific patient communities about health care and health policy, make connections with industry leaders and peers, and enhance their professional reputation.

Mona Shattell, PhD, RN, FAAN is Chair of the Department of Nursing Systems, Hugh F. and Jeannette G. McKean Endowed Chair, and Professor at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. She is the Editor of the Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, and the author of more than 150 journal articles and book chapters. Her published work focuses on patient-provider relationships, various environments of care, and underserved populations such as long-haul truckers. Dr. Shattell is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. She is an active social media user, content developer, and public thought leader. She has published op-eds in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Health Affairs Blog, and others. She was named one of the “Top 25 Most Influential Nurses to Follow on Twitter” and is #4 on the list of “100 Twitter Feeds Every Nurse Should Follow.” Prior to joining the faculty at UCF College of Nursing, she was the Associate Dean of Faculty Development and Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing; she served as Chair and Professor in the College of Nursing at Rush University; she served as Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development and Professor in the College of Science and Health at DePaul University; Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Assistant Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Lecturer at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Dr. Shattell received a PhD in nursing from the University of Tennessee Knoxville, a Master of Science degree in psychiatric mental health nursing from Syracuse University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing, also from Syracuse University. 

Melissa Batchelor, PhD, RN, FNP, FAAN is an Associate Professor at George Washington University School of Nursing and Director of the Center for Aging, Health and Humanities. She is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and served the United States Senate Special Committee on Aging as a Health and Aging Policy Fellow. Her research focuses on improving mealtimes for those living with Alzheimer’s disease by teaching caregivers to use three supportive handfeeding techniques. Dr. Batchelor is a nationally recognized innovator in using digital technology and social media. A family caregiving video series she co-developed with the AARP’s Home Alone Alliance was a selected as a finalist for the 2020 Sharecare Awards—an award established by Sharecare and National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, New York Chapter (renowned for the Emmy Awards). She has been invited to share her journey with social media through presentations for the National Academy of Medicine, Science, and Engineering and the American Academy of Nursing, among others. She was selected for the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s 2019 Digital Innovation Bootcamp and completed requirements to be an Apple Teacher. Her website MelissaBPhD.com houses her handfeeding demonstration videos and a television series produced by Fairfax County Public Access Television. In 2020 she started a weekly podcast called This is Getting Old: Moving Towards an Age-Friendly World. The podcasts are disseminated through YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn and can also be found on iTunes, Amazon Music, Spotify, and Stitcher. In the first year, the podcasts have 13,000 Subscribers on YouTube, more than 1 million viewing hours, 9 million impressions, and more than 8000 downloads from the podcast platforms.

Rebecca Darmoc, MS is the Chief Marketing Officer for a consulting firm and former director of marketing at Rush University System for Health, an academic medical system in Chicago. As a brand strategist, she actively coaches faculty, clinicians, and researchers on personal branding and public communications. With a master’s degree in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern University, she specializes in content marketing, persuasive messaging, and social influence. She is a member of the Forbes Communications Council and has specialty certificates in social media marketing, content marketing strategy, and leveraging neuroscience for business impact. She was named one of “10 Most Influential Women Leaders of 2021” by Industry Era magazine. Her work has been recognized by international content marketing associations with the Silver Pearl Award for Best Healthcare/Pharmaceutical Content 2017 and first place for Best University Publication 2018.