7 Social Media Groups for Nurses and Resources
By Elizabeth Marcant, Contributor
Socializing and seeking support from other nurses, who understand what you're going through and can offer a shoulder to lean on or advice, should be a part of every nurse’s regular routine. Nursing is hard and shift stress is real. That’s why we want to take the guesswork out of which social media groups for nurses you should be following. Check out our top seven suggestions, below.
7 Social Media Groups for Nurses
1. Nurses Rock Group on Facebook
This social media group for nurses is more than 40,000 strong and has been sharing RN laughs and insights since 2014. The published point of the group is to share fun pictures and nursing memes and have fun together. It's an active group, with more than 50 posts on some days.
2. Nurse Educators Group on Facebook
Nurse educators, including RNs who work in staff development or academic or training environments, gather at this digital watering hole to swap stories, resources and tips.
3. American Nurses Association Facebook Page
This is your one-stop social shop for things related to the ANA, which also shares links to other stories, sites and resources for nurses. You can follow the page whether you're an ANA member or not, which means RNs considering the association can get a little glimpse of the organization's brand before they make things official.
4. The R.N. Network on LinkedIn
Whether you're just getting started in your nursing career or you're a well-established professional with plenty of education and experience under your belt, this network lets you mingle digitally and discover a variety of new opportunities. It's a great place to get the 411 on new research, specialist tips or just what, in general, is going on with fellow nurses.
5. The Oncology Nursing Society on LinkedIn
Nurses who work with cancer patients may want to join the ONS, which is 35,000 strong and offers education, support and networking for oncology RNs. If you're already part of this organization, consider participating with it on LinkedIn. If you're considering joining, the society's LinkedIn page is a great place to start.
LEARN MORE about Oncology nursing jobs: comforting patients during their time of need
6. Critical Care Nursing on LinkedIn
This group of over 2,000 critical care nurses share support, information and resources in a digital group environment. This is a social media group for nurses or RNs who are facing the stresses and challenges unique to a critical care environment.
7. NCLEX RN Study Group on Facebook
The rules for this group are super straightforward: Don't sell anything, don't solicit and don't even post jobs or try to recruit nursing pros. This group is on a mission, and that's to pass the NCLEX exam. If you're in this licensing boat, this is a great place to start, and you might build online friendships and relationships that can be beneficial to your career later.
Tips for finding additional social media groups for nurses
If you didn't see a social media group for nurses that seems like a good fit for you in the list above, don't worry. Hundreds of these groups exist online, so you can find one that offers the type of information and connections you're looking for. Here are some tips for finding online RN resources and groups.
Like and follow nurses you admire on social media and see which groups, pages and resources they engage with or share.
Check the websites for organizations you're interested in; look for links or icons for social media pages or forums.
Ask nurses you know (online and off) whether they enjoy following certain pages or if they have tips on finding digital support groups for RNs.
You may not think digital support and networking is important as a nurse. However, when you take a little time to find the right place for yourself online, you can reap rewards including support when you need to talk, information about resources and jobs outside of your local network and entertaining reads and shares that only nurses truly understand.