This document summarizes research into the role of social media in undergraduate pharmacy education. Focus groups with pharmacy students found that they use social media primarily for communication, photos, education, and current affairs. However, students also expressed concerns about professionalism and privacy if educators used social media, as posts could go viral quickly. While social media could encourage interactive education, students preferred keeping a private online profile. The researchers conducted further studies on e-professionalism and social media in pharmacy education and how this represents a new era.

1. The role of social media in
undergraduate pharmacy education
Aly Brown
Brian Addison
@alyjbrown
@brianaddison75
@RGUPharmacy

2. Where it all began…
@alyjbrown
@brianaddison75 @RGUPharmacy
Patient
Safety
Podcasts
Pharmacy
Consultations
Package

3. What we knew…
• our students were engaging with social media
• previous studies suggested that educators
were reluctant to use social media in
education
• studies within pharmacy education had raised
concerns around professionalism, privacy and
longevity of online personas
@alyjbrown
@brianaddison75 @RGUPharmacy

4. What we did…
• six semi-structured focus groups with UG
pharmacy students (n=39)
• explored how students defined social media;
how they used it; advantages and
disadvantages of using social media in
education; and the potential for using social
media in pharmacy education
Ethical approval was granted by the School of Pharmacy and Life
Sciences Ethics Committee
@alyjbrown
@brianaddison75 @RGUPharmacy

5. What we found…
• Definitions
@alyjbrown
@brianaddison75 @RGUPharmacy
interacting communicating
keeping in
contact
sharing/
obtaining
information
socialising

6. What we found…
• Uses of social media
@alyjbrown
@brianaddison75 @RGUPharmacy
communication photos
education
current
affairs
events

7. What we found…
• concerns
@alyjbrown
@brianaddison75 @RGUPharmacy
fitness to
practise
Posts go
viral quickly

8. What we concluded…
The ability to use social media to encourage
interactive lectures and communication
between educators and students conflicted
with students expressing the wish for a more
private online profile
@alyjbrown
@brianaddison75 @RGUPharmacy

9. What we did next…
• Scoping review of the literature
• e-professionalism first ‘defined’ by Cain in
2009
• most studies conducted with undergraduate
students to date
• the added factor of fitness to practise is a
concern at all levels
@alyjbrown
@brianaddison75 @RGUPharmacy

10. Our most recent study…
@alyjbrown
@brianaddison75 @RGUPharmacy

11. Programme of research
E-professionalism, pharmacy & social
media: a new era
@alyjbrown
@brianaddison75 @RGUPharmacy