#WGT16 - LIVE COLLABORATIVE BLOG


Sunday 21st February 2016 by @AgencyNurse

This blog is a Live Blog documenting #WGT16.  The aim is that the many people travelling to Salford University on the 29th February 2016 and those who are also participating in the event via social media channels will write a commentary of the event.  Starting from the week before #WGT16 - On Monday 22nd Feb we would love people to record their pre #WGT16 thoughts, feelings & aspirations - What does social media in health mean to you ? - and on the big day itself Monday 29th Feb we want people to take time out in the day to stop and reflect and record their thoughts.  The blog will also be open a week after #WGT16 (closing on Monday 7th March) so people can post their lasting impressions, key take away points and even their commitment to action.  


The idea is that this becomes a living and breathing collaborative piece of work that shares many people thoughts, feelings and reflections around what does the future of social media and health look like.  Anyone can post - yes even YOU ! You don't have to have written a blog before or be an experienced writer, we recommend that you keep your posts short (about 200 words is a rough guide) to make life easy for the reader, but feel free to post as many times as you like.  And don't forget to tweet that you have written a post too - as it will encourage others to do the same.


On the day of #WGT16 we will have a computer set up in the room for people to hop on and write their blog posts, or you can write a post if you are joining in at home from your own device (of course also feel free to post from #WGT16 from your own device too!)  


Happy Live Blogging 




#WGT16 Question : 

What are you #WGT16 thoughts, reflections and actions? 






 Posts

Please feel free to post in to this blog; you'll need to be logged in via twitter from the top right of the menu to post.
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@spencer_sian
06 March 2016 19:27
#WGT16 Wow- I have needed a week just to process, take stock and think about the impact #WGT16. It stuck me as I arrived at my hotel, that the buzz and build up to this epic meet up- was huge and had been steadily building for many months- right from the Crowdfunding appeal- to choosing a suitable outfit!! ( I know I don't know what I was thinking!) however creating smiles and building memories, promoting a positive experience and impact- is what I do- its what we all do. #WGT16 certainly did that- asking us to think about the impact SoMe could have on healthcare, our practise, our patients and families, our professional development and the sharing of our stories - the most important part of the day. What was it like to discover SoMe- how did we know who to follow, how to answer tweets, would it impact on our professions- and the many hurdles or opinions we would have to take into account.... Or maybe it could just start with 1 tweet! To be brave, to take a few steps. @AgencyNurse @VanessaLGarrity amongst others were brave, and asked us to join them in a journey to the unknown. It was uplifting to finally meet some of the #twitterfamily that I have been chatting with, sharing ideas and practise, human contact, and touch, listening to journeys and stories really made the day powerful, I had gate crashed @WeCYPNurses about 10 months ago and it was amazing to finally meet them in person, they were as amazing - so kind and knowledgeable- it was like meeting up with a friend you hadn't seen in a while. At the helm was @BeckyMalby guiding us, inviting us to share our SoMe stories, ask questions, talk, discuss, learn and make plans. It was great to share this space not only in the room physically, but also online with so many- the reach was immense. Powerful words were shared by @anniecoops @Bartond @MarkOneinFour asking us to think about the impact SoMe has, for us as well as our patients, and many twitter handles were shared- to enhance ourselves both personally and professionally. Taking care of what we use SoMe for, how we share the knowledge with others and support those first few steps. I met many inspirational people, listened to stories that were equally uplifting, amazing, and made me catch my breath. I came away thinking of the plans I could make to introduce practises, encourage student involvement, patient involvement and learning. The SoMe path is sometimes about taking those small steps through an unknown valley- but stumbling across a small stream. This will carry me through some tricky waters- but 1 small pebble is all it takes to create small ripples- and #WGT16 was all-about doing that together with support on either side of the bank. Huge Thanks you to everyone involved- there are so many to name- but bringing us all together- was epic! My special appreciation must go to the nursing students at Salford University- the 6C's - you nailed them and some! Thank You.
@jomwlever
02 March 2016 10:05
Hi, I'm Jo and this is my first ever blog. SoMe journey so far.... I have had a facebook account for a number of years and found it a good way to keep in touch with family & friends and share news quickly. As a bit of a tech phobe, I was pleased with this achievement. I have been a registered nurse for nearly 20 yrs after doing "Project 2000". As entry level for nursing has now become degree, and I've potentially got another 25yrs ish in practice (if I'm fit enough), I had a chat with my boss who has supported my request to study for degree modules part-time. The most recent module I passed (with best mark ever) led me to the fab lecturer @ChrisMulryan. He introduced new ways of learning, he said, "if you have not got a twitter account yet, will you please set one up as there will be learning resources on there #tweetanatomy".This made me feel very nervous, but I did indeed set up an account up in August 2015. Didn't get twitter, so went on one of the resources available to learn how to use twitter. One day, instead of concentrating on #tweet anatomy, I became distracted and realised there are many many healthcare related organisations and health professionals on twitter and soon found @WeNurses. Wonderful - opened my world. I loved being able to connect with different ppl I wouldn't be able to ordinarily, and I like seeing what others do. I love learning. I would say that Chris, We Nurses, and Dr Umesh Prabhu have been very influential in a positive way in twitter journey so far. I am soon to begin a new post in Operating Theatre Dept. At interview, I mentioned twitter and wonderful hcp community on there, and they were receptive. I have asked to be involved in doing something to help pick up staff morale, health and wellbeing and I feel confident that support from twitter community will be positive. My view on this was confirmed at the awesome #WGT16 and it was a privilege to be in the same room as so many members of the twitterati. I feel more connected and it was good to meet folk with wide ranging knowledge, experience & insight in a non-hierarchical, non-judgemental way. I went alone and came out feeling that I've now got many friends from wecommunity. Added bonuses were definitely getting to eat lots of lovely cake, and thanks to the ladies from vipvctraining was able to practice cannulation which is something I infrequently need to do but have had a confidence kick back lately. I've probably gone on long enough, but from #WGT16, I now intend to explore other social media tools, read up SoMe policy at work and possibly challenge it, and hope wecommunity members get to meet up again soon. 2020 seems so far away. Thanks to all, #WGT16 was awesome :-)
@MHNurseLecturer
01 March 2016 12:30
Some thoughts from #WGT16. It was so nice to see lots of 'tweeting' nurses together in one place and spot people I knew in the community. I even got the chance to talk to some of them IRL and meet some new folk along the way. So the social aspect was good. Our table had an interesting discussion when it came to looking at how social media might be used to improve the lives of people we work with. I have some reservations about this and we acknowledged these within our group. We discussed how we 'curate' our follows - that is our use of twitter depends on to a substantial degree (but not totally), whom we choose to follow. So with my @mhnurselecturer account I naturally tend to follow a lot of folks who tweet about mental health and related issues. Therefore I think we are sometimes at risk of creating networks of the likeminded to some degree and perhaps we need to think strategically about how we diversify our twitter network. Much was made of in the day about how diversity in our networks can be fruitful. We therefore thought that we don't want to replace one sort of silo with another and that reaching out and following people in other walks of life, professions, with other interests and passions could be a helpful way of improving the diversity of what we experience through social media. I work with people and work to improve the services that deliver care to people who are marginalised in many ways, stigmatised and also structurally disadvantaged in our society. They are also subject to damaging terrible experiences of abuse, coercion and control - socially and organisationally. They may well not wish to interact with me as I may well represent to them exactly the kind of thing they want to stay away from. So I find myself thinking that we must be attentive to the needs of people who for many good reasons may not with to interact with professionals on social media. They could do without another form of imposition on top of what they have already experienced or are experiencing. Just as we would in other avenues of communication we must be attentive to the space and territory that we occupy in these virtual spaces. Not all will welcome the idea of professionals seeking to 'improve their lives' through social media, and may find this threatening and invasive.
@PhilBallRN
29 February 2016 13:34
Now @Markoneinfour is challenging as people are losing faith in public healthcare, so what is out role and how can we act on social media to promote change and improvement in healthcare, making sure there are appropriate services for people to use. He asks us to bring debates on choice back to reality. Use social media is a great way to do this, we can bring passion and value to public debate. Sticking to what we know best when difficulties emerge feels the safest but not the best thing to do, changing is the challenge.
@SueMorgan71
29 February 2016 12:10
What a fantastic event. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming. I've come here by myself but feel like I'm in a room full of friends. Today is proving that social media is a power for good, unlike how it is often portrayed in the media. Wouldn't it be great if everyone here could 'convert' one person to social media every week? What a change for good we could make.
@PhilBallRN
29 February 2016 12:00
This morning has been about our stories and social media, now we're thinking with @HelenBevan about the new power that is open and has common purpose; it's our wish to be here and we're in the vanguard. Risk management gets in the way of innovation, we have to use the levers of old power to create the room to make change happen. How much do we allow for the volunteering of imagination and passion of social media. A big challenge for the leaders and senior managers like me?
@AgencyNurse
29 February 2016 00:33
A quick #WGT16 reflection - before I go to sleep on the night before #WGT16 i just wanted to share how overwhelmed i feel. I have just met someone who has travelled from America to be with us tomorrow and in addition to this the tweets that have been shared this evening have been coming thick and fast .... people are pretty wonderful and people coming together in this way can only be a good thing. I am looking forward to tomorrow and exploring how we can move forward within social media and health ... however right now, looking back it seems we have achieved so very much.
@sandyra1961
28 February 2016 22:48
I love social media, I feel it is a way of connecting with people for many reasons, to gain support and just chat about work stuff that people are going to understand. Everyone has the same sort of problems, the highs and lows from working in healthcare are similar. I do feel we are in a goldfish bowl and under scruitiny from everyone this makes me uneasy about social media and things being mis-quoted. I look forward to reading everyone's tweets.
@Jneildwy
28 February 2016 21:50
What does social media in health mean to me? I feel it is an expression of the healthcare world that I want to work in. Health care social media is a space genuinely defined by the shared values of our many professions. It is a community where the spirit of hoping for better in healthcare in all its forms is so strong, it grabs you once you dip into it and whisks you on in often in uplifting and unexpected ways. My daily world of clinical work is challenging alone, working to create positive change in a complex system of multiple siloed interests more challenging still, but it is so great to know that support is only a tweet away. In moments of uncertainty or confusion that tweet may be information, advice or even just a "Hello that has happened to me" but is the gold dust of connection and shared endeavour that is healthcare social media for me. I am looking forwards to meeting in person.
@Kel1406
28 February 2016 20:16
What does social media and health mean to me? It means quick answers from real people, people that have been there in not only a professional manner but who, most likely have been through similar situations themselves. It means not being on your own with your own thoughts in the wee hours of the night. Social media is not just the stiff upper lip that can be seen in some clinical areas, it is the funny stories or the shoulder to cry on. I feel part of a group when I have the opportunity to tweet or respond to a question. I have learned to be a better person with the help of social media,. I am so pleased that I am part of the #WGT16 (even if it is a small piece of a much larger whole). On a personal level the #WeCommunities helped me last year when I lost someone dear to me, not only did they tweet me words of condolence they gave me advice. Tomorrow promises to be an amazing day and I thank you for allowing the Students of Salford University be part of it. I hope you all have a safe journey - See you tomorrow
@LukiKnowsBest
28 February 2016 19:12
I've been a member of Twitter since January 2009 and to be honest use it to connect with friends and have a bit of a joke with people. I never believed it could be anything work related. At the start of my training, I've got so much to learn about nursing as a whole and I'm really privileged to be part of this and volunteer as a representative of University of Salford. I've seen lectures, videos as well as actual reading tweets by Wendy and Moira who have so much passion for the role of social media plays in nursing and education so I await with baited breath tomorrow's event and meeting so many different people from all around the country with different experiences and opinions. For my part, I'm there to help those of you unfamiliar with Salford and convey my reflection on what is being discussed. I think I'm going to learn a lot from this and even if I don't I think I'll be very happy to be part of a new kind of gathering of healthcare professionals. It'll be a day of firsts me and I can't wait! #WGT16
@PhilBallRN
28 February 2016 17:09
As I hear tram wheels squeal n the distance, I know I'm in Salford and about to meet up with the #WGT16 family. I'm apprehensive, big groups of new people need some courage to face; I know however there will be people whom I've met before and some I'm looking forward to meeting for the first time. Healthcare and social media seem intertwined these days; it's a far cry from the letter pages of journals and contacts made at conferences or on courses, where interaction happened when I was a much younger nurse. Social media will help the voices of all nvolved in caring and those who support the delivery of care. It feels very exciting, I've already lost some sleep and there's one more night to go. I look forward to sharing listening and simply being inspired by my #WeCommunities family, it's going to be great fun.
@gcwFFF
27 February 2016 19:27
I'm so excited that in less than 24 hours I will be meeting some of our fantastic #wefamily at #WGT16. The online community of both @nhsFFF #valuemaker and more recently @wefinance_ have been such a big part of the last two years for me. I never imagined when I started tweeting back in July 2014 that it would change me so much. I've learned so much, and enjoyed creating really positive connections across the NHS on social media. I'm looking forward to meeting many of you in person tomorrow, and on Monday. If you aren't able to be there in person, please do join in virtually, through the chats and #wgt16. In the words of @2morrowknight 'Social media is not just an activity, it is an investment of valuable time and resources. Surround yourself with people who not just support you and stay with you, but inform your thinking about ways to WOW your online presence.' Bring on #WGT16
@Medincle
27 February 2016 16:09
Social media has the potential to do great things for healthcare. It offers unique benefits for patients, for example enabling people who suffer from chronic diseases such as MS to reach out to one another. It is also incredibly empowering for healthcare professionals and students; social platforms such as Meducation and Figure 1 that rely on user contributions demonstrate the potential of social media for content creation. At Medincle, social media is a great way for us to relate to students and professionals who struggle with the challenges of medical spelling (something that as students we had struggled with in isolation). While reaching out during TwitterChats, we were amazed at the amount of energy that exists out there, and harnessing this enthusiasm for the betterment of healthcare and education is what social media is all about. Richard Purcell & Niels Leadholm – Junior Doctors
@elleysowerby
26 February 2016 16:26
Hello my name is Elley and this month I'm celebrating my first Twitter anniversary - Woohoo!! Sadly I'm unable to make it in person to #WGT16 due to work and family commitments however I plan to join in remotely during the day ? But a bit sad that I’ll miss out on the #WGTBO taste challenge (looking forward to seeing lots of photos though). So what’s so great about Twitter? It’s the ability to easily and readily connect with people local, nationally and internationally from various areas of healthcare. It provides a great foundation for individual’s working in isolated areas of care to have a voice, get additional support, information and guidance. It breaks down hierarchical barriers and allows ideas to be voiced and shared with the continuing goal of seeking best practice. It’s accessible and enables individuals to attend a conference remotely if they are not able to attend in person. It can help towards NMC revalidation by allowing people to reflect on their participation in a tweet chat, conference or journal club. The most important thing though is that it’s a great resource for learning, sharing and joining in. So just give it a go and try not to be deterred we’re a friendly bunch that will happily welcome you. ?
@NaomiMcVey
26 February 2016 14:28
Hello everyone, I'm part of @WeAHPs and @physiotalk and looking forward to meeting so many people I've chatted with on twitter. I'll also be filming Vines at morning coffee break, so look out for the @WeAHPs banner and come and share your thoughts on social media in health - can you do it in less than 6 seconds?!
@SianP107
26 February 2016 08:37
dear fellow tweeters.. hope you have a fab time at #WGT16 0n monday.. i will be following on as i can from work. i have questions for you to debate please. "how can we balance the rights and needs pf parents and grandparents to record signifigant events in the life of their CYP against the need to maintain the confientiality and safety of the other CYP's and NHS employees who may be inadvertently photographed with or without their permission?" "are staff and these family members fully aware of the perils of publishing these photos on social media platforms?" eg they may be copied, shared and used by others mobile phones are such sophisticated cameras and have such high resolutions that even those taking the photo may not realise what can be identified when the image is enlarged.. "with safety of the CYP being paramount , what are the main risks in mobile phone use?" and no i definately dont want mobiles banned fromt yhe clincal area but some guidelines would be fab.. thanks for you help in advance Sian
@debscooper131
25 February 2016 13:56
Hello my name is Debs :-) I started tweeting after a RCN Student Information Officer meeting in the 1st year of my training. I mostly lurked till I saw a lecturer at uni with a little chirp badge while working at an open day- it sparked a conversation, I followed @WeNurses and I've pretty much been hooked ever since. Twitter has been invaluable to me as I've worked through my training, I've met so many nurses & other healthcare professionals who've inspired me, encouraged me and supported me. The sense of community online is wonderful and adds so much to my nurse training. Using Twitter has also helped me explore issues around nursing & nurse education that are important to me, I've blogged my thoughts, taken part in so many fascinating twitter chats & even hosted 1 myself. As I work through the final 6 months of my nursing and then transition into the NQN role I know twitter will be of great help, professionally & personally. I'm amazed by the lovely nurses & HCPs I've met online and I am SO excited for #WGT16 to be able to meet face to face some of the people who've inspired me on my nursing journey
@berylella
25 February 2016 12:08
Hello, my name is Emma. I am a Children and Young Peoples Student Nurse all set to qualify next month and a member of the @weCYPnurses twitter team. Although not new to twitter I am somewhat of a novice tweeter and really looking forward to helping out as a student volunteer for the day for #WGT16
@hepworth_becky
23 February 2016 16:19
My name is Becky (@hepworth_becky). I am a Children's Community Nurse and I will be coming all the way from the Isle of Wight to attend #WeGetTogether. I am a member of the @WeCYPnurses team and am really looking forward to meeting my other team mates face to face, and also other tweeters that I have chatted with over the past few years. I am excited about this event and am really grateful to the team behind the scenes for all their hard work and enthusiasm. Twitter has invigorated my passion for nursing, allowed me to learn and share and has broadened my horizons beyond the Isle of Wight. Especially looking forward to the tasting of all the #WGTBO entries!
@LucyGardRN
22 February 2016 21:14
Hi all! My name is Lucy (@LugardCYP) - i'm a 3rd year CYP Student Nurse at Salford and i'm also a member of the @WeCYPnurses team on twitter! Twitter has opened so may doors for me and as a younger member of the nursing profession I am passionate about social media being a more integral part of health care which is used more enthusiastically! I'm really looking forward to meeting the many tweeters that I have gotten to know online and to also help out by volunteering as a Salford student and to also help with the #WGTBO Bake Off!
@vipvctraining
22 February 2016 21:02
Oh my name is Sally
@vipvctraining
22 February 2016 20:56
@vipvctraining just really excited about #WGT16 nervous too but feel part of a team and looking forward to sharing and learning
@MedRevalidation
22 February 2016 14:51
Hi guys! We're Premier IT as well as @medrevalidation to most of you. We are so happy to be supporting #WGT16! We have been Tweeting since 2011 and have seen the support that each tweeting healthcare professional can receive from social media. You're all so supportive to one another, it's fantastic. It is so important to feel supported in your profession and everyone involved in #wecommunities is certainly proactive in this. We are extremely excited to be meeting all the passionate Tweeters next week so please come and say hello to us on the 29th, we would love to chat with you all!
@robbradley01
21 February 2016 21:48
Hi Rob here! Looking forward to attending We Get Together where all tweeting health care professionals under one roof amazing. I think that SoMe is so important in health and social care agenda as its a great source of information and way of communicating with vast amounts of HCP's and their years of experience. I also looking forward to meeting face to face those people who I have been tweeting and facebooking. As one of the WeCYPNurses team it's going to be a chance for us to meet each other for the first time also our followers. Please say hi to me if you see me! See you on the 29th Rob
@PeninsulaClinic
21 February 2016 21:20
My professional journey over these last 7 years has been inextricably linked to Twitter and the inspiration and challenges I have found among the 140 characters of wisdom that have so often popped up. How many of you have thought “ I would never have found that (paper, conference, contact) without Twitter.” I do not think it is any exaggeration to say that Twitter has literally revolutionized my practice life and my academic life. I am convinced of Twitter’s role in my journey but have often asked myself “How has this little programme led to such change?” I think that the desire to see my professional life as unfinished, as always a work in progress has played a part. Twitter in this regard is simply one of the many tools I use. But I think there are two other characteristics of Twitter that are crucial; the multiple small bites of information that tease but don’t overwhelm and the fact that somehow, possibly through pattern recognition, these snippets take shape and form a cohesive whole. It is around this last point that I believe Twitter makes a great contribution. It may be hackneyed but in the end I think of Twitter as a conversation – one that is endlessly fascinating and challenging, one that is going on whether I join in or not and one that I owe to my patients to engage with. Looking forward to some more of that with #WGT16.
@levylass
21 February 2016 19:15
Hello everyone my name is Moira McLoughlin and I am a Senior Lecturer at the University of Salford and I have probably been tweeting personally since 2009. But I became more focused on using Twitter in nurses education in 2012/13 when was the Student Experience Lead for the School of Nursing, Midwifery, Social Care & Social Sciences, culminating in the setting up of the @NursingSUni account in 2013 so that we could communicate with students quickly and I real time. This account really took off when a small team gave it wings. Wendy Sinclair and I (along with Neil Withnell) have since then been working closely with students in order to grow, not only their confidence at leading and curating the account but also to demonstrate the 'mostly' wonderful world of the 'twittersphere' including the enriching and educational tweetchats that @WeNurses run. I'm really looking forward to #WGT16 destined to be the unconfernce of the year where like minded users of Social Media will converse both in and out of Maxwell Hall about the future and development of SoMe in healthcare practice. I look forward to meeting you there ????
@JanetThomas47
21 February 2016 17:27
Hi all, I'm Janet and I'm so looking forwards to #wgt16! I started tweeting because I 'had to' as @agilechair and representing an organisation - I was the epitome of a reluctant tweeter, but it didn't take long before I was hooked! Within a month or so of stopping as AGILE chair I answered a tweet looking for people to start a Physio based tweet chat - and the rest (as they say) is history with the formation of @physiotalk Over 2 years later and with more than 60 chats under my belt I'm a passionate advocate of using social media to engage with a wide range of tweeting HCP. I've never felt so connected and up to date. Working in both older people's rehab and education I know the importance of working in teams rather than professional silos - and Twitter is just the thing to break down those barriers. So roll on meeting all the tweeting HCP in person - and of course the #WGTBO.....
@AndreaJohns20
21 February 2016 17:25
Hi my name is Andrea Johns, I joined Twitter in November 2012 after a chance meeting with Viv Bennett and a question I remember very well 'do you mind if I tweet your poster' opened up a whole new world for me. I immediately became connected to the senior leaders in my profession, other like minded health care professionals and service users. I soon realised the great benefit social media could bring and how it could be used to share, connect and learn. When I look back now, I see that the day I joined Twitter marked a turning point in my career. I now have the privilege of being on the leadership team of @WeHealthVisitor and iHVForum. Every day, I learn something new on Twitter and never stop marvelling at the opportunities that is has opened up. Generations to come will not know a world without SoMe in healthcare, a very different world to when I started nursing and health visiting. I look forward to #WGT16 another fantastic achievement for Teresa and Nick and feel proud to be part of what may become another turning point in history for tweeting HCPs. Good luck to all involved and I will see you all there Thx Andrea
@Bartontd
21 February 2016 17:10
Going to be brief - the Welsh are on their way! #DAVEWAVE - I am Dave and I am a retired Associate Professor of Nursing. I started to Tweet about 5 years ago and it opened a whole new world of communication and professional dialogue. I also tell bad jokes - so they say. Looking forward to meeting my Twitter family - I will be the old grey haired dude at the back. BTW - my students call me Dumbledore - cheeky beggars... If you want to read more about my life as a young nurse (a long time ago) visit NEW NIGHTINGALES http://newnightingalechronicles.blogspot.co.uk/ Anyhow - cant wait to see all you folks next weekend - drive carefully....
@cdodd09
21 February 2016 14:01
In February 2014, I joined Twitter and soon saw the benefits that social media can bring to health care professionals eg making connections, sharing best practice and ideas. A year ago I was involved in the launch of @wecypnurses and it has been a great privilege to help bring together a group of like-minded HCP who are all trying to provide the best possible care to CYP and their families. Through twitter I have made connections which have allowed me to directly improve my practice. Twitter ensures that we never stop learning and are constantly updated on current recommendations. We chats are especially useful for this. Meeting such enthusiastic colleagues through twitter helps keep the passion for nursing going. I am very much looking forward to meeting my twitter friends in person at #WGT16 including my fellow @wecypnurses and of course helping to judge the #WGTBO is an added perk!
@spencer_sian
21 February 2016 13:25
#hellomynameis Sian-Siany Sparkles is just one of many other names I go by. I am fairly new to the world of Twitter but for a long time I have used various social media platforms to raise awareness, fundraise, learn and share some of my skills - to help, empower and support others. I am so excited, and looking forward to being part of #WGT16- but also a little apprehensive about meeting so many of my #twitterfam. It's amazing how my first introductions to Twitter find me following along and kind of gate crashing @WeCYPNs - lurking for a while and then- feeling so welcomed- that you pretty much can't stop me tweeting now! It has been a powerful source, a force to be reckoned with- supportive, yet honest, kind and true. It has introduced me to some amazing groups, individuals and ways of working- it has opened up endless possibilities for personal growth. I have been amazed at the professionalism- and feel secure in my own views to tweet as I would want to be tweeted- and feel very much like I can share an opinion, ask for help, share my own views in a non threatened way- and get honest feedback and opinions. It has also allowed me to share things that- were ideas in a box- hidden away- SoMe and particularly Twitter has helped me to express a deep passion for my work, and know that there are many that feel the same- so together we are a driving force in Specialised Play in Healthcare. I also love to be able to spread some sparkle- wherever I go- I hold close the deep relationships I have forged since joining the We Communities.
@AgencyNurse
21 February 2016 09:49
Hello - my name is Teresa, and I have to say that I am really looking forward to #WGT16 ...even if I am slightly nervous! I'm looking forward to it because I truly believe that people coming together through social media is incredibly powerful. For me it has been a lifeline, it's the thing that has kept me nursing as without the support, knowledge, learning and access to a plethora of healthcare professionals, expertise and differing perspectives I would have continued to feel isolated and alone. I think that social media has a huge part to play in healthcare both now and in the future - if we can imagine it we can do it and shape it . I see #WGT16 as an opportunity to look forward and explore the possibilities .. and that's exciting! However there is lots to do between now and then to bring it all together and ensure that everyone has a wonderful day whether they be in the room or joining us online .. which is why I am slightly nervous! What seemed like a crazy idea some six months ago is now very much a reality ... and I hope that you all enjoy the day that YOU made happen. Teresa x

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