Across every industry, social media has become a go-to resource for networking, discussing trends in the field, and gaining access to valuable professional opportunities. The nursing industry is no exception, and perhaps more than most professionals, nurses can benefit from a virtual community of individuals with a firsthand understanding of the job-related pressures they face every day.
Niche professional groups on platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook are a great way for nurses to connect with their peers, seek advice, or simply vent about the stresses of working in the modern healthcare field. Best of all, they’re free to join and only require an active user account on the platform. Just remember to keep HIPAA guidelines in mind and avoid sharing personal patient information.
If you’re looking for instant support and development in your nursing career, consider joining one of these professional nurse social media groups.
LinkedIn Groups for Nurses
Often thought of as the professional social media platform, LinkedIn Groups can be a great way to make valuable connections with nursing professionals at all levels. Here are eight groups to consider.
1. RN (Registered Nurse) Network
The largest group for registered nurses on LinkedIn, RN (Registered Nurse) Network is for RNs who are interested in expanding upon their career or simply connecting with other nurses. Many of the groups on this list cater to specific specialties, but this one includes them all. Posts in the group are directed towards networking with nurses in any field, industry information, and discussions on related topics. You’ll find not only professional support, but members’ posts often offer emotional encouragement, too. Nursing is not an easy profession, and it helps to talk with people who can relate.
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/859457/
2. American Nurses Association
The American Nurses Association (ANA) is a professional organization that acts as an advocate for nurses to make sure you can do your job safely and at the highest level of quality. An example of the ANA’s work is advocating for access and widespread usage of PPE. The ANA’s official LinkedIn group offers resources like industry news, current causes for advocacy, and networking opportunities for nurses like you.
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2014748/
3. Critical Care Nursing
With more than 10,000 members, Critical Care Nursing is a robust networking group for nurses who specialize in critical care areas, including progressive care and intensive care units. In the COVID era, critical care nursing has become more important than ever, so this is a great place for CCRNs and other certified nurses in the critical care specialty to gather and discuss the latest technologies, best practices, and emerging trends.
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/3655616/
4. Advanced Practice: Physician Assistant, Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Nurse Specialist, CRNA, Midwife
This Advanced Practice LinkedIn group provides a targeted community for any who work in or with the specialties listed in its title: physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, CRNAs, and nurse-midwives. According to the group’s “About” section, as a member, you can “network with other practitioners and professionals, ask and answer questions, share articles and news, promote your opinions and perspectives, post jobs, [and] help this sector of healthcare progress.”
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2837063/
5. Nurse Practitioner
The Nurse Practitioner LinkedIn group is specifically for nurse practitioners interested in networking within the NP community. Nurse practitioners are highly accredited nurses with unique skills, experiences, and responsibilities. If you are an NP, then connecting with other professionals in the field can help you with both career development and emotional health support.
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1642097/
6. Entrepreneur Nurse
Entrepreneur Nurse is a LinkedIn group for nursing professionals who are seeking to follow an entrepreneurial path with their career or are interested in learning more. The group offers support for these nurses and their brands by cultivating awareness and helping them find new opportunities to grow their businesses and careers. Members share their ideas, experiences, and other resources to help each other achieve success.
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/3491365/
7. Oncology Nursing Society
As the largest international community of oncology nurses, the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) supports its members in offering the best care possible to their patients. The organization uses its best evidenced-based practices to promote “excellence in oncology nursing and the transformation of cancer care.” Discussions in this group focus on connecting with other nurses in the specialty and tapping into ONS’s well-developed network of resources to better the experience of nurses and patients in oncology.
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1691967/
8. Nursing Student Network
Nursing Student Network is a group for existing nursing students or new graduate nurses to connect, network, and discuss career opportunities. Entering the nursing field as a new graduate can sometimes be overwhelming, and this group aims to help new nurses transition quickly. This group also welcomes healthcare recruiters and HR professionals seeking to hire new nurses.
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/707567/
Facebook Groups for Nurses
Though more of a social than a professional platform, Facebook offers countless valuable groups for professionals in every industry. The most popular ones help you connect with other nurses in your field and find support and resources to improve your career and take care of your own wellbeing.
1. NurseRounds
NurseRounds is a community of nurses of all levels and specializations. Members can network, share career advice and clinical guidelines, and offer support to each other. The group is a great resource for nurses who want to connect with a variety of other nursing professionals across the industry.
2. The Nurse Health Project
The Nurse Health Project is a private group that offers support for nurses both physically and emotionally. The nursing profession can take its toll on all aspects of a nurse’s life and health, and this group aims to promote self-care to keep the stress of the job from negatively impacting your life. Through this group, members care for each other and themselves – like true nurses. As such, advertisements are strictly prohibited.
3. The Gypsy Nurse
The Gypsy Nurse is the Facebook group for the largest online travel nursing community. It offers its vast network and resources for current or aspiring travel nurses to connect with others in the field. To ensure helpful, high-quality discussions, the group’s rules forbid posts on recruiting, housing, or advertising of any kind, but it does provide links to other groups that focus on those topics.
4. Nurseup.com
Another public group, Nurseup.com takes a unique interdisciplinary approach to nursing advice. Any healthcare professional, whether a nurse or a doctor or a social worker, is encouraged to join and connect with other workers in the medical field. Although the group is started by a nursing entrepreneurship and advocacy community, Nurseup welcomes discussions on health, wellness, caregiving, and bedside nursing care.
5. Nursing First
Nursing First is “dedicated to educating, enhancing, and empowering the nursing profession,” according to the group’s “About” section. They invite nurses and nursing students of various specialties to join and network together. The community seeks to promote advocacy for patient care through nurse success.
6. Exceptional Nurse
Exceptional Nurse is a community that advocates for the inclusion of nurses and nursing students with disabilities. The group’s aim is to share information on how to better include healthcare workers with disabilities within nursing programs and while working in the field itself, whether the disability exists prior to entering the field or a nurse becomes disabled well into their career.
7. Nurses Take It With a Lime
Nurses take it with a Lime is a relatively newer Facebook group that focuses entirely on credible news and personal experiences related to COVID-19. Nurses across the country are welcome and encouraged to join and share information, either from new articles or their own experiences working in a COVID-19 world or simply offer their emotional support to each other.
8. Growing Healthcare Professionals
If you are a current healthcare professional or someone who would like to learn more, then Growing Healthcare Professionals is a public group started by Clipboard Health that welcomes both. As a current health professional, you can connect with others in the field and share your experiences. If you’re thinking about entering the field and want to know more, then you can learn from others, so you can choose the path that is best for you.
Looking for your next nursing job? Apply to work at Clipboard Health to start picking up per diem shifts.
