Social Media and EMS Education Michael Abernethy MD FAAEM

Disclosures: I have conflicts in my life I have interests in my life The two do not overlap…

Questions regarding current use of spinal immobilization for trauma

This is not unique to just one area Advanced Airway Trauma resuscitation Cardiac resuscitation Prehospital CC Stroke Sepsis CC pediatrics And on and on and on……..

MEDIA

The problem with Traditional Media

AM radio in the 1960s Small Town America

But was it always ? Tom Abernethy WSTV Radio “Phone Party”

Social Media: Definition The interaction among people in which they create, share or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks

Social Media –How do we use it? Keep in touch with family/friends News, Current events Gaming Blogs –personal publishing to the masses Networking Business E-commerce Politics Social Conscience Marketing Education!

Twitter

Twitter itself contains limited info – Its value is as a link to definitive blogs, scholarly references, journal articles. It also provides almost worldwide instant contact with many of their authors Find people with similar interests – follow them. If their tweets are uninteresting and not pertinent to your interests –Unfollow them

Twitter Create a Profile

Twitter 101 –What is a Tweet? 120 characters - a message Can also contain a hashtag ie #UWEM Link to any internet address/webpage Photos

Twitter 101 Handle – your Twitter name. Starts with Followers – Those people who choose to receive your tweets Following – Those people whose tweets you choose to receive = Twitter feed Followers does not always equal Following Retweet- how your tweet can reach thousands How many can you truly follow?

If you think you are special/famous because you have Twitter followers – Just remember Justin Beiber has 51,000,000

Twitter 101 – Find someone with similar interests –See who they are following and start following

Twitter You can follow ANYONE –no “friending” You don’t have to use your name – you can be relatively anonymous But –Anyone can follow you It can totally be one way – you can follow hundreds and never post your own tweet Think before you post –it will be out there forever for anyone to see

Social Media Conduct Rules Never discuss patient specific issues Never be anonymous in any opinions or postings (anonymous lurking OK) Remember – EVERYONE is watching. Assume your posts will go on a billboard in front of your place of employment and your Mom will be able to read it You can be controversial, even edgy but BE NICE

We need to stop re-inventing the wheel in every department, in every hospital, in every state, in every

Slaying Medical Dogma Very smart people with extensive experience who have a command of the medical literature

#FOAMed –What is it? Free Open Access Medical Education FOAM is independent of platform or media Not a teaching philosophy or strategy It is a globally accessible crowd-sourced educational adjunct

FOAM is a useful way of disseminating, dis-cussing, dissecting and deliberating over the products of that research – as well as exploring issues where research findings do not apply, or simply do not exist Christopher Nickson & Mike Cadogan

FOAM is the concept #FOAMed is the Twitter hashtag

I don’t have/want a Twitter account. Can I still access the benefits of FOAMed? ABSOLUTELY !

lifeinthefastlane.com

Hundreds of EMS blogs

Peer Review? It Ain’t All That

FOAMed – No Formal Peer Review 24/7 Near instantaneous, post publication commentary by anyone with an internet connection

Twitter/Online relationships, are they real ? It Depends……

My one year Social Media experience (thus far)

DevelopingEM Havana

FOAMed What are you waiting for !

Questions ???

Thomas the Tank Engine The crystal meth years….