The potential influences of social media among nursing students at the undergraduate level

Abstract

2. Abstract Aim: This review aims to consolidate the empirical evidence on the efficacy of social media networks in undergraduate nursing education. Objectives: 1. To examine the ability of social media to influence nursing student’s learning and the expected learning outcomes from using it. 2. To examine the various effects of social media, both positive and negative 3. To gain an understanding of the social media platforms that are being used in nursing education programmes. Introduction: Social media platforms are being examined and explored to determine whether this online technology might aid with the learning process and different other aspects among undergraduate nursing students. Design: Mixed systematised literature review. Data sources: Systematised search of PubMed and ScienceDirect. Method: The author independently evaluated titles, abstracts, and complete articles for inclusion criteria before extracting data and assessing its quality. The data synthesis used a sequential explanatory method. Findings: Eight studies were included in this review and their results showed that social media appears to assist students with gaining new knowledge, improving their practical skills, and raising their level of confidence during the learning process. Learners benefitted from a platform's dynamic sharing and discussion capabilities, which allowed information to be exchanged in timely manner; however, social media had some negative effects such as excessive usage. Social media learning was supported by the ease of use of these platforms, but one of the papers in this review confirmed the opposite. Keywords: Nursing student, undergraduate nursing student, education, social media, systematised review, nurse, learning.