I work as a paramedic in Oulu area. The social and health care sector is relatively conservative, and especially the use of more informal platforms has been quite slow. Our organization has its own IG/FB account maintained by a group of a few paramedics. Any one of us paramedics can propose posts for this group. Social media is mostly meant for informing people about some important things (educational purposes), but sometimes there’s also fun stuff involved.
Social and healthcare sector is suffering from labor shortage and I consider social media one of the tools to interact with potential co-workers. Nowadays, people create perceptions of employers based on social media as well. Privacy concerns should be very well evaluated when using social media and I think we have handled it well in our organization.
Benefits
If I think about the social and health care sector more broadly, various platforms can benefit our clients/ patients quite extensively. For example: FB groups for weight watchers or for those who want to eat healthier are basically very good sources of ideas, support and encouragement. This is just one example. Platforms can assist people to maintain healthy lifestyles and offer a wealth of information on nutrition, exercise, mental health, and overall wellness. There are lots of platforms also for tracking and monitoring diet, exercise, sleep and other health metrics. Monitoring your progress is quite rewarding.
disadvantages
As known, social media and platforms has also negative sides. What comes to mind first are unrealistic standards of beauty, fitness and well-being. Comparison with others does not lead to happiness and wellbeing. Platforms are also very fertile grounds for cyberbullying and therefore it may complicate mental issues (if those occur). I think that especially young people and those in vulnerable situations are more susceptible to cyberbullying. That’s why good intentions ( to find good tips and encouragement) can lead to ugly results.
facebook/ Instagram
The utilization of Facebook and instagram is minimal. I just checked OYS Ensihoito’s FB account and the previous post was over a month old. The use of social media is not regular or well-planned yet. I believe we could share more important information on our social media accounts. And if we could organize and plan it well, we could reach more people.
We (Oulu univeristy hospital EMS) have our own private group on Facebook, where we can arrange shift swaps or discuss other informal matters.
Skype
I’m not sure why, but we still have Skype on our computers. I have never used it in my work. For communication, we use the phone, Signal, and for meetings, etc., Teams. Signal has replaced SMS as formal communication channel.
WhatsApp is an informal communication channel among co-workers. It is not used formally in our organization. We don’t share any patient information or other privacy concerns on WhatsApp. WhatsApp is not installed on our work phones. WhatsApp is widely used in daily life (outside the work), but I don’t utilize video calls. I just don’t like them. Perhaps I’m a little bit old-fashioned! However, voice messages are good.
Youtube
Our organization does not have its own YouTube channel, but if you search for “OYS Ensihoito” on YouTube, relevant results will appear. Account ‘Emergency_pohjoispohjanmaa’ has recorded lots of emergency vehicles, including ambulances. One of our colleagues has established his own YouTube channel called ‘Ensihoitotube’. On that channel you can follow the series ‘Ensihoitokertomuksia’ and learn about first aid and other safety themes. The content is freely shareable.
In fact, on YouTube, you can find really useful videos of our medical equipment, such as the Zoll defibrillator or the Oxylog ventilator. The manufacturers have produced very good manuals or video guides for those devices.
About social media and EMS
In our work we can end up being subjects to covert filming. In a public place emergency situation can gather people around the happenings and some of those may even film easily with their mobile phones. If I see someone filming or taking pictures, I ask to stop. I can never be sure if I appeared in someone’s social media feed/stories while at work.
Evaluation
A good e-platform is easy and safe to use, with well-handled information security aspects and clear regulations. A good platform also adapts to the user’s needs. It should have settings that allow the user to customize functions to suit their preferences. When a platform grows large enough, it usually encounters more problems and vulnerabilities. Criminals are also interested in the money that flows through these platforms.
As I work in a very conservative industry, I do not utilize social media and other informal platforms at all. Two years ago I worked as a digital marketing specialist and e-platforms and social media were my daily tools. I hope to find a job where I can develop and utilize formal e-platforms to improve effectiveness and efficiency in the social and health care field.