Social Media to Make Professional Connections (I)
Dave L. Dixon, PharmD, BCACP, BCPS, CDE, CLS - Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy and - Brent N. Reed, PharmD, BCPS, BCCP - University of Maryland School of Pharmacy - talk with us about using social media for professional development and staying current with the latest evidence to support your practice. Key Lessons: Social media includes a wide range of online applications intended to interact with other users in a public setting. Social media, especially Twitter, has become an increasingly important forum for connecting with professional colleagues and engaging in dialog about cutting edge issues that impact patient care and pharmacy practice. Social media use should be done in a systematic, thoughtful way - you need to decide what your goals are, who to follow, and how frequently to check your social media feeds. Being a passive recipient of social media posts (aka being a "lurker") is a great way to get started but eventually, you may wish to share and comment on content you find valuable ... as well as create your own original content. Learning how to curate your social media feed can help prevent information overload. Following a professional conference (and the people attending) on Twitter can enhance the conference experience and enable those who are not able to attend the conference to learn about what's happening. Engaging in social media can be personally and professionally rewarding. Share your personality! It should be fun. Get the Social Media Infographic by Ashley and Brooke Barlow (@theABofPharmaC)