My job and digital tools
I work as a nurse in charge at a private nursing care company. Our clientele includes elderly people and those receiving care from family members. We serve both private clients and public sector service voucher and purchased service clients. My job description includes monitoring general well-being (physical, mental, social, and spiritual), nursing services (e.g., blood tests, ear irrigation at home), and administering medication.
The most important digital tool in my work is the Doma Care customer information system, which allows me to plan my daily routines, manage customer information, and streamline processes seamlessly in a single system. Once you have learned how to use it, DomaCare is an easy-to-use operations management system for professionals in the care and social services sector. It brings together customer data, care plans, work shifts, records, and invoicing—all in one place. As a cloud service, it works anywhere and anytime.
In my current job, digital tools are mainly limited to Doma Care and email. I also use Microsoft Planner, Word, and PowerPoint, but I rarely have time to work on a computer. Microsoft Planner is a lightweight task management tool in Microsoft 365 that allows teams to plan, share, and track tasks visually using a Kanban board. Kanban board is a visual board where tasks are presented on cards and divided into stages such as “To Do,” “In Progress,” and “Done.” It supports collaboration and integrates seamlessly with Teams and Outlook, among others. Microsoft Teams is a collaboration tool that allows you to communicate with colleagues, share files, and collaborate on projects. To gain visibility, we use Instagram and Facebook on behalf of the company.
The pros and cons of social media
Off the top of my head, the advantages of social media include the ease of communication and information sharing. It also enables networking and community building. It provides a platform for influencing and marketing. Social media such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp allow for quick communication.
Nowadays, people are constantly on their phones, and I know that WhatsApp, for example, allows me to get in touch with people really quickly. This is certainly more true in my free time, but WhatsApp is also used to communicate with many companies these days. Almost every company’s website that can be contacted also offers WhatsApp as an option. However, in the Northern Savo welfare area and other healthcare companies, for example, WhatsApp communication is prohibited for security reasons.
Another positive aspect of my work is its wide reach. A private care company needs visibility to attract customers. We achieve this by advertising the company on social media, where we can share our customers’ positive experiences, for example. Naturally, we have first ensured that we have consent to share the information. As mentioned, we use Facebook and Instagram. We could, of course, also open a TikTok account to gain even more visibility, but I think TikTok is more geared towards young people. However, there are also older politicians who have been clowning around on TikTok to gain voters. To be honest, we wouldn’t have time for that, as our main job is care work.
One of the advantages of social media is its versatility. In addition to text, you can share pictures, videos, links, and events. A single message or update can be easily shared with a large group of people at the same time. Interaction is also important: comments, likes, and shares enable immediate discussion and feedback.
When I look at the downsides of social media through the lens of my work, one of the main issues is reputational risk. Negative feedback spreads quickly. Crisis communication can become stressful, as it requires a fast response. Information security risks are another concern, since social media increases exposure to misuse—for example, through phishing attempts or fake accounts that impersonate a company or its employees and spread misleading information.
Staff may also accidentally share confidential information publicly. A company’s name, logo, or content can be copied and used fraudulently. As mentioned, producing content takes up time and resources. There’s also a lot of competition for visibility, which I’ve noticed. Standing out is challenging. And perhaps the most serious risk: even small mistakes can gain wide attention and cause reputational damage.
Social media can have negative effects on individuals by increasing stress, reducing self-esteem through constant comparison, and consuming excessive time. It may expose users to misinformation, cyberbullying, and privacy risks. Overuse can also lead to feelings of anxiety, loneliness, and decreased concentration. This is unfortunately clearly visible nowadays, and fortunately, it is being talked about more.
Five social media tools to utilize in my daily work
In care work, as I mentioned, there isn’t much time to focus on the ins and outs of social media or its use, since my work mainly involves interacting with people. But if we focus on how I could increase visibility for our company, I chose these five tools.
Pi.ai is a personal AI chatbot designed to offer support, ideas, and companionship in an empathetic and approachable way. I explored it and was charmed by the AI’s friendly, personal, and pleasant approach. The first thing it asked was how my day was going—so sweet. I could choose different themes for my questions. I started with a topic titled “You CAN stop procrastinating,” and it offered some great advice. Some tips I already knew, but I plan to start using several new ones as well. I also asked how to promote our local small business in a local area. I did receive answers that we’re already using, such as partner with other local businesses, get involved in community events, offer incentives, utilize social media, and advertise in local publications. On the other hand, it gave me confirmation that we’re on the right track.
Next, I would of course create a to-do list and use that platform to help me with it. It is very similiar with the Planner wich I use already. Todoist promises you to stay focused and organized. You can sort tasks into today, upcoming or using custom filters where you only see what you need. You can set due dates, visualize your week in a calendar view, and easily create recurring tasks. You can also organize your team work by giving your team a shared space to collaborate and stay on track- while keeping personal tasks and projects separate.
When our team comes up with a good idea for an upcoming campaign, we use the Asana work management platform. With Asana, you can organize cross-team work at the right scale—from daily tasks to strategic initiatives involving multiple departments. Asana is the only work management platform that turns goals into action and helps eliminate silos between teams. A marketing campaign management template is a ready-made tool that helps teams plan and execute campaigns from idea to launch. It provides a centralized view of all marketing activities, helps identify task dependencies, and allows for strategy adjustments throughout the campaign. Teams can share updates easily, switch between different project views like checklists or timelines, monitor performance with dashboards, and assign tasks with clear responsibilities and deadlines.
https://business.google.com/in/ad-solutions/youtube-ads
Because visibility is important and we are now fully committed to it, we have planned and recorded videos that we will publish on YouTube. For example, we could start advertising on YouTube by setting up a channel for our company, where we could run campaigns and measure the results. The YouTube Ads website has a comprehensive guide on how to get started.
https://www.blogger.com/about/?bpli=1
Blogger offers an easy way to create a personalized blog with customizable templates and background images, or you can design your own look. Its built-in analytics show your most popular posts, where your readers come from, and what they’re interested in. You can also connect your blog to Google Analytics for more detailed insights. Blogger allows you to share your expertise, current news, or topics that interest you. Even though reading blogs is no longer common in today’s fast-paced world, I would start a blog that I would promote on social media. In the blog, I would write about our company in an engaging way and add beautiful, polished photos of our activities. On Instagram and Facebook, there would be a link to the blog for those who would like to learn more about the company’s activities. I think that as the population ages and lives longer, people are becoming more aware of the need to start looking for care for their loved ones early on. A blog could be one way to open up the world of home care in a more in-depth way.
Self reflection
Digital tools and social media offer tremendous potential to support care work—from administrative efficiency to broader visibility and client communication. However, balance is critical, especially in a field that relies heavily on human interaction and trust. Exploring new tools thoughtfully and within professional guidelines can enhance both internal operations and our connection to the community.
From this assignment, I learned to reflect more deeply on how digital tools and social media are integrated into my daily work as a nurse in charge. It helped me realize the importance of not only using these tools efficiently but also understanding their broader impact—on communication, productivity, and public visibility.
I became more aware of the benefits and risks of social media in a professional context, especially in healthcare, where information security and reputation are critical. I also explored new digital tools that could potentially enhance our company’s outreach and internal collaboration, such as Pi.ai, Todoist, Asana, YouTube Ads, and Blogger.
Overall, the task encouraged me to evaluate my digital skills and consider how I can use modern tools more strategically, both to improve my own work and to support the growth of the company. It also reminded me how important it is to find a balance between digital tools and human-centered care.