For many of you nurses out there the world is vastly different from when you first entered your noble profession. Back then, Twitter, Facebook, and the likes did not exist, and people had real friends and liked real pictures. Alas, times have changed, and the virtual world has practically taken over our lives. But who says it’s got to be a bad thing? In fact, if I may say so myself, social media can be a wonderful thing. And here’s a little secret: If you use it correctly it can in fact contribute to career success. So here goes a list of ways you can use social media to advance your nursing career. #GOODLUCK

Build A Community

Support is crucial in any career, particularly so when it comes to nursing. Rough days are aplenty and the fact that you can build a community of nurse friends who understand what you’re going through and can provide the appropriate support, is vital to your well being. Plus, you can ask for advice, befriend nurses in specialties you are interested in, and if you just want to chill out you can sit back and laugh at funny nurse memes and jokes. Best of all, social media breaks down geographic barriers, and allows otherwise unlikely friendships to blossom.

Never Stop Learning

No one said you have to go back to school to learn new things. And no one said learning means hard-core, textbook studying. Learning just means staying on top of your game and keeping up to date with advances in your career. In this instance, social media is the perfect way to access relevant articles about nursing and medicine. Another aspect of learning is just picking up useful tips and tricks; for example, how to best care for your medical scrubs. In fact, I can give you a tip right now. Want the best in wrinkle free and stain resistant scrubs? Check out this bold Cherokee Luxe v-neck top.  See you just ‘learned’ something new by reading this blog!

Let Me Introduce You…

Perhaps the hardest part of any job is moving forward and finding a special niche. In nursing in particular, there are so many fascinating fields, and so many areas you can get involved in. But who’s going to help you figure out what exactly you want to focus on, and even if you do have that part figured out, who’s going to help you get your foot in the door? That’s right, social media will! Get yourself a LinkedIn account and work it! Find people who specialize in the areas you’re interested in and connect with them. Most of them will be willing to talk and will even give you useful suggestions. You can even connect with recruiters who can help you revamp your resume, find you job openings, and get you interviews.

See, social media is a modern marvel. So get yourself involved, even if it’s just for fun!