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UMSV 602 Social Media

Policy Name: Social Media

Social media is a powerful communication tools that has a significant impact on organizational and professional reputations. Because they blur the lines between personal voice and institutional voice, the University of Mount Saint Vincent has adopted the following policy to help clarify how best to enhance and protect personal and professional reputations when participating in social media.

Social media platforms are defined as media designed to be disseminated through social interaction, created using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. Examples include, but are not limited to, blogs, Wikis, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, as well as photograph sharing sites such as Flickr.

Both in professional and institutional roles, employees need to follow the same behavioral standards online as they would in real life. The same laws, professional expectations, and guidelines for interacting with students, parents, alumni, donors, media, and other University constituents apply online as in the real world. Students may be held or are liable for anything they post to social media sites.

While this document will provide more specific guidelines to help navigate particular interactions, all these spring from a set of basic principles:

Don’t post anything you would not say.

Assume anything you post is public, regardless of privacy settings.

Assume anything you post is permanent.

Please note: All program students will become uniquely aware of the guidelines and policies associated with UMSV 602. Please pay particular attention to the following sub-paragraphs outlined within the link provided. 

Please refer to the University of Mount Saint Vincent Social Media Policy:

  • 10.1 FERPA
  • 10.2 Policies for all Social Media Sites, Including Personal Sites
  • 10.3 Institutional Social Media

Social Media Policy | Master of Science Physician Assistant Program

  • It is strictly prohibited to take photographs of patients, including in the operating room, even if the patient is not identified.
  • The accessing of diagnostic images or any form of patient data for the purpose of transmission on a social media platform such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, iTunes, LinkedIn, Twitter, and blogs is strictly prohibited.
  • Violation of this policy will result in being called before the Academic Performance Committee and possible dismissal from the program.
  • Witnessing any violation of this policy should be immediately reported to the academic or clinical coordinator and the program director.