Social Media in the world of Speech Pathology
Social media has been an outstanding resource during my education. It has provided me with contacts that I have used to benefit my education as well as my current job as a speech language teacher. Pinterest has been wonderful for coming up with fresh ideas to use in therapy. I have also used Pinterest as a resource for accessing "cheat sheets" and "charts" which have been useful study guides and learning tools. YOUTUBE has also been resourceful for watching therapy sessions and informative videos to help me gain knowledge of how textbook information can become real world. Facebook has been great for collaborating with fellow students and other speech pathology professionals in regards to case studies and coursework that was unclear. I feel that social media can be very beneficial when used correctly.
I plan to use social media as a source for continuing my education. Staying connected on Facebook with my fellow peers and previous supervisors will help me to feel comfortable asking questions about areas that I may have difficulty with assessing or treating. Facebook will also allow me to keep updated contacts and connections for future job opportunities and CEU trainings that may be available in my area.
Pinterest will forever be a great resource to use for finding new and innovative activities. Many of the major companies such as PediaStaff and ASHA are always "pinning" new and interesting activities and information which may be beneficial for clients of all ages. There are always interesting crafts, games, and activity sheets which may be appropriate for all ages. Pediastaff also includes many research topics which may be relevant to a patient on the caseload.
Many people often look at social media as a negative thing. I feel that social media is negative when it is not used properly or when people abuse the way it is used. I feel there are far more advantages of social media over disadvantages. Many of the advantages of social media include establishing connections, learning new techniques, and staying on top of the latest research.
Insuring patient confidentiality is the number one thing that must be kept in mind while using social media. It is so easy to want to share our praises with the world about the milestones of our patients but we must not do that on social media sites. We must not discuss patient information outside of the facility or with anyone that does not have contact with the patient. This can sometime be difficult with nosey family member.
All in all social media is a definite positive aspect to our career.
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