Can blogging about nursing help the profession?

Are you a nurse blogger? Is one of your coworkers? Or do you just love reading blogs about your profession and the issues that are close to your heart? Then this is definitely a topic you’ll want to tune in to!

One of the biggest questions in the blogging world is, how much is too much information to share? Should nurse bloggers discuss their work online, as it can help and affect you and your own career?

Brittney Wilson of the Nerdy Nurse recently blogged about this very subject, and here’s what she had to say:

I often see blogs that are mindless ramblings and recounts of the day that are seem to be posted out of obligation rather than with purpose. I have been guilty of this myself, both online and off. Just talking to hear myself talk or blogging to put a new post up just so something is there. But I know this doesn’t provide any real value.

Having a voice without having a message is pretty much useless. What’s the point in talking if you aren’t really saying anything?

I think that nurses bloggers have to be particularly aware of this likely criticism. It’s pretty much the norm to hold nurses to impossible-to-reach standards. Nurses who blog are often held to those same expectations as well.

But I don’t think these expectations should be completely disregarded. There is good reason to examine the words you put on the internet to see if they provide value. For nurses, I think it’s also important to examine the words so that our profession isn’t represented poorly, either. Although there are are some nurse bloggers who disagree with me on this, I feel that we have an obligation to the nursing profession to use or blogs for good and to help others rather than just ourselves.

Nurses who blog have the ability to add real value to the internet. We have platforms to raise awareness of issues that nurses face every. We have an opportunity to offer suggestions and solutions that others may not have thought of. We have a chance to make a positive difference in the nursing profession.

To read the rest of The Nerdy Nurse‘s post, head on over to her blog. Then, in the comments below, tell us your own thoughts on nurse blogging and if it’s something you’ve ever considered doing before. We’d also love to hear all about your favorite nurse bloggers!