A model of a physician’s successful social media journey

Her patients at The Everett Clinic, who saw the episode on Oprah, were concerned.

“They weren’t necessarily more informed, but they were scared,” Swanson says. “I couldn’t wait any longer to get out on social media.”

She decided her best bet to help parents get the right information was to start a blog. You could call it her “ah-ha” moment.

At that time, Seattle Children’s Hospital, where she’s on staff, was looking for a blogger.

Jennifer Seymour, the hospital’s director of digital media and content strategy, says the marketing and communications team had been tossing around the idea of starting a blog for a year, but hadn’t found the right person. The team and Swanson were working on another project when “the stars aligned,” Seymour says.

“We wanted the blog to have an authentic voice and be valuable to our readers,” Seymour says. “Dr. Swanson shared inspiring ideas about how to strengthen the connection between patients and providers.”

It was important to both Seattle Children’s and to Swanson that it be written in the doctor’s own voice.