Social Media Policy

Policy Details

Effective Date:

November 2, 2016

Supersedes:

COM Administrative Policies Initially Adopted February 28, 2007; amended June 1, 2009; September 30, 2010; January 19, 2011; June 12, 2012; May 10, 2013; July 10, 2014; Social Media Policy Amended November 2, 2016.

Responsible Authority:

Senior Associate Dean for Administration

Policy Statement

The administration of the College of Medicine recognizes that social media websites and applications,
including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and
YouTube are an important and timely means of communication. However, faculty, staff, employees,
residents, fellows, volunteers, and students should be aware that posting certain information may be
illegal or unprofessional. Violation of existing statutes and administrative regulations may expose the
offender to criminal and civil liability, and the punishment for violations may include fines and
imprisonment. Offenders also may be subject to adverse employment actions, disciplinary sanctions
and/or academic actions that may include, but not be limited to, a verbal or written reprimand, probation,
suspension or dismissal from employment, school and/or resident training. All faculty, staff, employees,
residents, fellows, volunteers and students in the College are also subject to University policies and/or
regulations on social media, (i.e. www.fau.edu/public-affairs/marketing-services/social-media/) as
well as all other applicable University policies and regulations.

The following actions are strictly forbidden:

• Any violation of University Office of Information Technology and/or College of Medicine IT
  policies.
• In your professional role as a caregiver, you may not disclose the personal health information of
  other individuals. Removal of an individual’s name does not necessarily constitute proper de-
  identification of protected health information. Inclusion of data such as age, gender, race,
  diagnosis, date of evaluation, or type of treatment or the use of a highly specific medical
  photograph (such as a before/after photograph of a patient having surgery or a photograph of a
  patient from a medical outreach trip) may still allow the reader to recognize the identity of a
  specific individual, and therefore is prohibited.
• You may not disclose private (protected) academic information of another student or trainee.
  Such information might include, but is not limited to: course or clerkship grades, narrative
  evaluations, examination scores, or adverse academic actions.
• For students, sharing PBL/IQ information within a class is acceptable, but sharing material
  between classes or outside Florida Atlantic University is not. Many of our cases have been
  generously provided to us by other medical schools with the stipulation that they would be used
  only by our students. In addition, it would defeat the purpose of problem-based learning if the
  learning objectives, study materials, etc. were available to students encountering cases for the first
  time. Therefore, the use of Facebook or other social media sites by students for any PBL or IQ
  materials is strictly prohibited. All postings for PBL and IQ are limited to established practices
  and tools set by course directors, the Office of Medical Education and College of Medicine IT.
• In posting information on social media sites, you may not present yourself as an official
  representative or spokesperson for FAU or its College of Medicine, unless authorized to do so by
  the President or Dean of the College of Medicine, respectively.
• You may not represent yourself as another person, real or fictitious, or otherwise attempt to
  obscure your identity as a means to circumvent the provisions of this policy.
• You must respect limited personal use permissions, when applicable, and may not utilize websites
  and/or applications in a manner that interferes with your official work and/or academic
  commitments. That is, do not consume university, hospital or clinic technology resources with
  personal use when others need access for patient or business-related matters. Moreover, do not
  delay completion of assigned clinical responsibilities in order to engage in social media activities.

In addition to the absolute prohibitions listed above, the actions listed below are strongly discouraged.
Violations of these suggested guidelines may be considered unprofessional behavior and may be the basis
for employment and/or academic disciplinary action.

Specifically, students who fail to adhere to the standards of professionalism regarding social media will
be subject to the Policy on Academic, Professional and Behavioral Requirements and Standards
Governing the Florida Atlantic University College of Medicine and/or other applicable University
policies and regulations. Those students may be referred to the Senior Associate Dean for Student Affairs
and Admissions, and a Professionalism Incident Report (or other appropriate academic disciplinary
action) may be made and presented to the Medical Student Promotions and Professional Standards
Committee.

Residents and fellows who fail to adhere to the standards of professionalism regarding social media will
be subject to the Graduate Medical Education Policy & Procedure Policy Statement "Disciplinary, Appeal
and Dismissal Process". Residents and fellows may be referred to the residency program director or the
Designated Institutional Official for sanctions, depending on the severity of the action. Engaging in the
following activities (or similar conduct) by faculty, staff, employees, residents, fellows, students, and
volunteers in the College may result in employment and/or academic disciplinary action:

• Display of vulgar language
• Display of language or photographs that imply disrespect for any individual or group because of
  age, race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or other legally protected status.
• Presentation of personal photographs or photographs of others that may reasonably be interpreted
  as condoning irresponsible use of alcohol, substance abuse, or sexual promiscuity.
• Posting of potentially inflammatory or unflattering material on another individual’s website or
  "tagging" another individual in an inflammatory or unflattering demeanor using a blog, social
  media or other web service.
• Fraternization between faculty (including affiliate faculty), staff, employees, residents, fellows,
  students, and volunteers in an inappropriate manner of a personal nature, in violation of the
  Florida Atlantic University policy and/or College policy on Consensual Relations.

When using social media websites/applications, faculty (including affiliate faculty), staff,
employees, residents, fellows, and students are strongly encouraged to use a personal e-mail address,
rather than their fau.edu address, as their primary means of identification (see Acceptable Use of
Technology Resources). Individuals also should make every effort to present themselves in a mature,
responsible, and professional manner. Discourse should be civil and respectful.

Please be aware that no privatization measure is perfect and that undesignated persons may still gain
access to your social media sites. A site such as YouTube, of course, is completely open to
the public. Future employers (residency or fellowship program directors, department chairs, or private
practice partners) often review these social media sites when considering potential candidates for
employment.

Finally, although once-posted information can be removed from the original social media site, exported
information cannot be recovered. Any digital exposure can "live on" beyond its removal from the original
website or social media service and continue to circulate in other venues. Therefore, think carefully
before you post any information which may negatively impact your standing with the University or future
employers. Always be respectful, and professional in your actions.