The reality is that a public social media account can be viewed by anyone who searches, exposing you to several potential problems. These problems can include intrusions into your privacy from patients or colleagues, soft retaliation from the employer, or sometimes more severe retaliation.

If you wish to avoid the potential pitfalls, the best course of action is to bifurcate your social media activities, keeping your personal and work activities separate.

While you are still in training:

• Have separate personal and professional accounts.
• Lock your personal account so only people you approve of can read your comments.
• Refrain from saying anything about UM or Michigan Medicine on your personal account.
• Don't say anything negative about UM or Michigan Medicine on your professional account. If you have an issue with the employer, address it through the appropriate grievance process—via the HOA for contract and employment-related issues and via your program's academic grievance process for educational matters.

Many of you utilize a professional social media account to further your career. Please familiarize yourself with the Michigan Medicine Social Media Guidelines and all associated policies.

If, at any point, your professional social media account will be unused for an extended period, consider locking it until you are ready to utilize it again.

Please let us know if you feel Michigan Medicine has unjustly retaliated against you for a social media post. Remember to protect your privacy and stay safe online.