How to successfully complete your new member onboarding – Sermo

Introduction

Welcome to Sermo! We're excited to have you join our community. To help you get started, we've prepared this comprehensive guide that will take you through the different onboarding steps and explain their importance. Let's dive in!

Step 1: Complete your verification

Verification is a crucial step in ensuring the integrity and security of our platform. By providing accurate information and verifying your credentials, we can maintain a trusted community of healthcare professionals. This helps protect the authenticity of discussions and fosters a safe environment for all users.

Keep an eye out for messages from the Member Solutions Team and respond to ensure that your account will be successfully verified.

Step 2: Upload a profile picture

Adding a profile photo increases the credibility of your profile as it allows people to see who you are when you post, comment, or message others. A professional photo is sure to encourage meaningful interactions, enhancing your overall experience on Sermo.

To upload a profile photo (desktop):

Click the Me Icon at the top right of your Sermo homepage.
Click Account Settings.
Click on the Camera icon at the top-left side of the page, in the photo above your username.
From the Add photo pop-up window, you can:
- Click Upload a Photo to select an image from your computer.
- Click Choose an Avatar to use a picture we have provided.
Check out the profile picture preview to ensure the profile picture captures the focal point of your photo.
Click Save.

Tip: Upload a square photo with the focal point (your face or object) centered to ensure that it will be displayed in the profile picture.

Step 3: Add a bio

Your bio is your chance to introduce yourself to the Sermo community. Share your expertise, experience, and interests to help others understand your background and engage in relevant discussions. A well-crafted bio allows you to connect with like-minded professionals and create meaningful connections within the community.

1. Click the Me Icon at the top right of your Sermo homepage.

2. Click Account Settings.

3. Navigate to the Biography section and click Edit on the right.

4. Write anything about yourself that will give people more insight and credibility to your name!

5. Click Save.

Tip: include how long you have been in practice, your certifications, or hospital/organizations you are affiliated with.

Step 4: Customize your feed

Customizing your feed is essential for tailoring your Sermo experience to your interests. By selecting relevant medical specialties and topics, you will receive content and discussions that are most pertinent to your practice. This helps you stay informed about the latest trends, medical news, and relevant discussions in your field.

1. Click Browse Topics in the top left of your Sermo homepage.

2. Scroll through the Browse Topics pop-up window.

3. Click if the topic piques your interest.

Tip: Watch our Sermo Spotlight on following topics to see how it’s done.

Step 5: Engage with peers by voting or commenting on a post

Active engagement in discussions is the heart of Sermo's community. Voting in polls associated with posts allows you to express your opinion on medical cases, research, or relevant topics. Furthermore, commenting enables you to share your insights, ask questions, and learn from others' expertise. This active participation strengthens the community and facilitates valuable knowledge exchange.

Commenting

1. Click on the post to expand it.

2. Scroll to the bottom of the post to write a comment.

3. Write and share your opinions, insights, or questions.

4. Click Comment.

1. Click on located toward the bottom of a post that is not expanded

This automatically scrolls you to the bottom of the post

Tip: Watch this video to learn more about commenting to create insightful conversations.

Voting

1. Find a poll that intrigues you.

2. Carefully read the poll question and any accompanying information or context provided. There are two types of polls:

Check All That Apply: Check all boxes you wish to apply to your response that apply (can be more than one selection).
Select One: Pick one answer.

3. Click Submit.

Tip: Watch this video to learn more about voting.

Step 6: Follow a member

Following other members allows you to stay connected with their contributions and updates. It helps you discover thought leaders in your field and builds a network of peers with whom you can collaborate and learn from. As you come across interesting posts, click on the user’s profile and give them a follow to stay up to date with quality posts!

1. Click on the user’s profile.

2. Click follow.

Tip: We highly recommend following enbastet as she is a knowledgeable, long-time member and writes a weekly column to help members with their medicolegal questions.

Step 7: Explore Sermo’s Drug Ratings

As a healthcare professional, your insights into drug experiences are valuable. Physician members can rate drugs and contribute to a collective database of real-world experiences, empowering their colleagues to make informed decisions for their patients. Advanced Practice Providers will have access to read all the ratings. Everyone’s participation in reviewing and reading drug ratings plays a significant role in advancing medical knowledge and patient care.

Add your rating

1. Click on found in the navigation bar.

2. Click search and type in the name of the drug you want to rate.

3. Click on the stars to give a star rating for all five drug attributes – 5 being the highest.

a. You can also answer with Don’t Know.

4. Click Submit Rating.

5. Share more insight on your experience with the drug by leaving a comment!

Tip: Watch this video for further guidance on rating and exploring drugs.

Step 8: Publish a post

Creating and sharing your own posts on Sermo allows you to showcase your expertise, share valuable insights, and initiate discussions. By contributing valuable content, you not only strengthen your professional reputation but also inspire and educate others in your field.

Your first post

Introduce yourself! Tell the community of over 1.3 million members about who you are such as your name and the number of years you have practiced. In addition, include a fun topic to share about yourself on the post. Here are some topic ideas to get you started!

What you love most about practicing medicine?
What inspired you to pursue a career in healthcare?
Coping with professional burnout – how do you manage stress in your medical career?
The most valuable advice you've been given in your healthcare journey?
What brought you to Sermo?
What do you do for fun?
Any fun facts you'd like to share.

Introductions that lack personal details or depth often don't resonate with others and may not lead to the rewarding interactions we all hope for. Let's foster a vibrant and engaging community by taking a moment to introduce ourselves thoughtfully and spark meaningful conversations.

How to post

1. Navigate to the top of your feed.

2. Click patient case, discussion, or question depending on what it is you’re posting.

Patient Case: Share an interesting and specific case that you experienced. Provide the community with details, but make sure to protect patient privacy!
Discussion: This can be virtually about anything! Write about yourself, an important conversation the community should have, current events, a fun topic to share, or a personal experience!
Question: Ask a questions you’ve been curious about and hear back from over 1 million physicians.
- Click Open Ended to hear organic thoughts.
- Click Poll to specify your answer options.

Tip: Question posts work to gather answers to questions only. They don’t allow you, the author, to respond to comments on open-ended questions or for anyone to comment on polls. If you want to have a discussion or respond to other members, it’s recommended to share a discussion post instead.

3. Write an engaging, detailed title to get reader’s attention.

4. Start writing away!

Tip: Ensure the credibility of your content by reviewing and perfecting your grammar and spelling.

Tip: Tag members in posts by @ mentioning them and click on the profile that pops up.

5. Select a topic. Type in the topic or scroll to see which topic would be the best fit.

6. Click Post.

Tip: Watch this video for a comprehensive understanding of how to create a post.

Tip: Watch this Sermo Spotlight to learn more about producing meaningful posts.

Step 9: Take a survey

Participating in surveys allows you to share your expertise and opinions, shaping the future of medicine and influencing healthcare practices. Your insights have the potential to drive meaningful changes and improvements in patient care worldwide.

1. Click found in the navigation bar.

2. Browse through your available surveys.

3. Click Start to begin your survey.

4. Click through the questions, answering them thoughtfully, and earn!

There’s plenty more to learn about surveys. Visit our Help Center to help answer your questions.

Tip: Be sure to check our survey page and your inbox for survey opportunities as seats fill up quickly. Survey invites are sent to your email, so surveys can be started right from your inbox!

Step 10: Refer a colleague to earn more money

At Sermo, we believe in rewarding our members for building a strong community. By referring a colleague to join Sermo, you not only expand the network of knowledge-sharing professionals but also earn additional benefits. Your referrals help us grow our community and foster greater collaboration among healthcare experts.

1. Click on the Invite a Colleague button at the bottom right of your home feed.

2. Invite colleagues:

a. Sending an invite via email by entering your colleague’s email address.

- Send as many invitations as you’d like. Separate each email address with a comma.
- Use the default message for ease or write your own message to send a more personalized invitation.
- Don’t forget to click Send Invite.

b. Click on Referral Link

- Click to send a referral link to your colleagues.

- Have a colleague scan your personal QR code.

IMPORTANT: Your colleague must click on the “Join Sermo” button via the invitation email you sent for us to track and make payments to your accounts. If a referral link is sent or QR code is scanned, the same page link must be used during the sign-up process.

Tip: Watch this video to learn how to refer a colleague.

Wrap-up

We hope this guide helps you make the most of your Sermo experience. Remember, your active engagement and contributions enhance the community and bring valuable insights to the forefront of healthcare discussions. Welcome aboard, and let's transform healthcare together!

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