Developing nursing leadership in social media

Aim: A discussion on how nurse leaders are using social media and developing digital leadership in online communities. Background: Social media is relatively new and how it is used by nurse leaders and nurses in a digital space is under explored. Design: Discussion paper. Data sources: Searches used CINAHL, the Royal College of Nursing webpages, Wordpress (for blogs) and Twitter from 2000-2015. Search terms used were Nursing leadership + Nursing social media. Implications for nursing: Understanding the development and value of nursing leadership in social media is important for nurses in formal and informal (online) leadership positions. Nurses in formal leadership roles in organizations such as the National Health Service are beginning to leverage social media. Social media has the potential to become a tool for modern nurse leadership, as it is a space where can you listen on a micro level to each individual. In addition to listening, leadership can be achieved on a much larger scale through the use of social media monitoring tools and exploration of data and crowd sourcing. Through the use of data and social media listening tools nursing leaders can seek understanding and insight into a variety of issues. Social media also places nurse leaders in a visible and accessible position as role models. Conclusion: Social media and formal nursing leadership do not have to be against each other, but they can work in harmony as both formal and online leadership possess skills that are transferable. If used wisely social media has the potential to become a tool for modern nurse leadership.