Social Media Policy

The use of any type of social media communications (i.e. Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Blogs, Etc.) is supported by Bryan College of Health Sciences. The success of a positive, interactive social media site depends on the activity of those that belong and contribute. The College encourages interaction on such sites and recognizes them as valuable educational and personal and professional development opportunities. Interactions reflect on the student personally and may also reflect on the image of the College, clinical sites, and the healthcare profession.

  • Social media associated with the Bryan College of Health Sciences, its students, faculty, staff, and any clinical setting associated with the College, and Bryan Medical Center and its affiliates, should be positive, celebratory, informative, and encouraging. Content is held to the same professional standards and guidelines as are expected when interacting with others in the classroom, clinical, and college settings.
  • The College encourages the posting of photos and or videos featuring students, faculty, staff, and administration with the following guidelines when posting to College or medical center sponsored or personal sites.

The following guidelines have been developed for Bryan College of Health Sciences students when using social media communication for both personal and professional use:

  1. Posting or taking patient or any care related photos, video content, or writing about patient information from any clinical area is strictly prohibited and may be a violation of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) policy.
  2. Students may not make posts suggesting they are an official representative of the College, medical center or other clinical sites. (Refer to the student handbook for complete HIPAA policy.)
  3. Posting comments, photos, or videos from the classroom setting or College activities may be a violation of Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) or the Academic Integrity policy. (Refer to the student handbook for complete FERPA and Academic Integrity policies.)
  4. Offensive, harassing, and/or bullying material are not acceptable and will not be tolerated. Content found to be posted on any Bryan College of Health Sciences sites that are offensive, harassing, and/or bullying in nature or inconsistent with the College’s harassment and discrimination policies must be removed, and posting such materials may result in disciplinary action.
  5. Social media sites are not the appropriate venue for expressing negative experiences in the classroom, clinical, or college setting. Such issues should be brought to the attention of appropriate personnel at the College.
  6. Students posting unprofessional content on social media sites will be asked to remove such content.

Students are to report any inappropriate posts and/or violations of this policy to the Dean of Students or any College administrator. Appropriate disciplinary action will be taken when a student is found to have violated the policy up to and including dismissal from the College.