Social Media and Smartphone Policy Memo

by | Feb 12, 2025 | sociology

 

Compose an email or memo (you can choose which) that is based on the scenario below.
You’ve been hired as an Assistant Director of Nursing at a long-term care facility that recently opened. The Director has discovered that some nurses and other staff members have been posting videos and selfies on social media, sometimes with patients visible. In a TikTok video, a portion of a patient’s chart can be made out in the background, raising privacy concerns and the risk of HIPAA violations. In a Twitter post, a staff member complained about a patient in a potentially disrespectful way. On Facebook, an employee shared erroneous information about the facility’s holiday hours.
Your manager asks you to send a memo to the facility staff detailing a new social media and smartphone use policy to go into effect immediately. Employees should no longer use personal phones while working, except while on breaks. No photos or videos of the facility or patients should be posted on personal social media accounts, and all information or news about the facility should be approved by the Assistant Director before being posted.
Compose your email or memo in a document, adding the necessary headings and features of the format you’ve chosen. Use our text as a reference to decide what kind of email or memo to write, and to make sure your email or memo looks and sounds professional. Your email or memo should be no less than 200 words and no more than 300 words. Feel free to make up any necessary information or details as needed as you write.
Last, on a new page, write a 1-2 paragraph reflection on your email/memo addressing the following:
Which type of email/memo did you decide to compose for this scenario? Why?
What did you find challenging about writing your email/memo? Explain.
Criteria:
Structure and Organization Body
Formatting
Mechanics
Reflection

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


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God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

MEMORANDUM

TO: All Staff FROM: [Your Name], Assistant Director of Nursing DATE: October 26, 2023 SUBJECT: New Social Media and Smartphone Use Policy

This memo addresses recent incidents involving staff use of social media and smartphones within the facility and outlines a new policy to ensure patient privacy, maintain professional standards, and protect the facility’s reputation. It is imperative that all staff members understand and adhere to these guidelines, which are effective immediately.

MEMORANDUM

TO: All Staff FROM: [Your Name], Assistant Director of Nursing DATE: October 26, 2023 SUBJECT: New Social Media and Smartphone Use Policy

This memo addresses recent incidents involving staff use of social media and smartphones within the facility and outlines a new policy to ensure patient privacy, maintain professional standards, and protect the facility’s reputation. It is imperative that all staff members understand and adhere to these guidelines, which are effective immediately.

Several instances have come to our attention where staff members have posted videos, selfies, and other content on personal social media accounts that have compromised patient privacy and potentially violated HIPAA regulations. In one instance, a patient’s chart was visible in the background of a TikTok video. In another, a staff member made a disrespectful comment about a patient on Twitter. Furthermore, inaccurate information regarding the facility’s holiday hours was shared on Facebook.

To prevent future occurrences, the following policy is now in effect:

  1. Smartphone Use: Personal smartphone use is prohibited during work hours, except during designated break times and in designated break areas. This restriction includes making calls, texting, accessing social media, and taking photos or videos.

  2. Social Media: No photos or videos of patients, other staff members, or any area of the facility (including common areas, patient rooms, and offices) should be posted on personal social media accounts. This includes but is not limited to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Snapchat, and any other social media platform.

  3. Confidential Information: Sharing any patient information, including name, medical condition, or any other identifying details, on social media or any other platform is strictly prohibited and constitutes a HIPAA violation.

  4. Facility Information: All news, announcements, or information regarding the facility (including holiday hours, events, or policy changes) must be approved by the Assistant Director of Nursing before being posted on any social media platform.

  5. Professional Conduct: Staff members are expected to maintain a professional demeanor at all times, both within the facility and online. Disrespectful or unprofessional comments about patients, colleagues, or the facility will not be tolerated.

Violations of this policy will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment. We understand that social media is a part of many people’s lives. However, our primary responsibility is to protect the privacy and well-being of our patients and maintain the highest ethical standards. Your cooperation in adhering to this policy is essential.

Please sign and return the attached acknowledgement form to confirm that you have read and understand this new policy. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Reflection:

I chose to compose a memo for this scenario because it is a formal and efficient way to communicate policy changes to all staff members. A memo is appropriate for internal communication and allows for a clear and concise presentation of the new policy, its rationale, and the consequences of non-compliance. While an email could also be used, a memo often carries a stronger sense of officiality, which is important in this situation given the seriousness of the policy violations.

The most challenging aspect of writing this memo was balancing the need to be firm and direct about the policy violations with maintaining a respectful and professional tone. It was important to clearly communicate the seriousness of the situation and the potential consequences of non-compliance without sounding accusatory or condescending. I also had to ensure that the policy was clearly articulated and easy to understand, while covering all the necessary points related to smartphone use, social media restrictions, and confidentiality. Finding the right balance of clarity, firmness, and professionalism was the key challenge.

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