With the Irish nation taking social networking and forums to their heart over the past few years, it was only a matter of time until the medical and healthcare profession got in on the act.
A new healthcare forum has been launched in Ireland by medical recruitment agency, Jackie Brown Medical, and is beginning to attract its fair share of members. The site, which is accessible through jackiebrownmedical.ie http://www.jackiebrownmedical.ie/ , is open to all members of the health profession.
Jackie Brown, who gives her namesake to the company (but who didn’t take her name from the Quentin Tarrantino movie), says the idea for the site was an organic one.
“Various medical professionals were ringing us looking for information on a number of subjects such as working in Ireland, training, teaching and more. They had lots and lots of questions that we could not answer. It became apparent there was a need for one place where all medical professionals can go for advice or to offer it.
“We decided to design something where all of these people can go and throw in their questions in the hope that people would throw in their answers.”
There are a number of separate forums on the board, including those for allied health professionals, GPs, the Health Service Executive, healthcare assistants, medical sales, radiography, pharmacy and nursing.
While the forum is only accessible through the recruitment company’s website, Brown insists that driving traffic to the site is merely a bonus.
“It hasn’t been designed as an advertising tool, and that’s something we’ve made quite clear right across the forum.”
The company has also placed a strong emphasis on security, and people can log on anonymously – but must have a real email address – with all the standard rules that come with forums applying.
While the site is still in its infancy, Brown is confident that it will catch on over the coming months and years.
By Linda Daly
