Health Care Reform:

Med Students Put Unprofessional Info Online

Posting Policies

Thompson tells WebMD that the value of social networking sites like Facebook is clear for keeping in touch with former classmates, distant friends, and family.

"But students need to think carefully about the kinds of things they post," she says. "Even a photo as seemingly innocuous as drinking alcohol may not be in someone's best interest when they are applying for residency."

Slightly more than a third of the student affairs officials polled reported that their school had a policy in place to define appropriate and inappropriate content on social networking sites.

Thompson says she is working with colleagues at the University of Florida to develop such a policy, but she adds the intent is not to censor students.

"Some schools are moving toward censorship -- telling students they shouldn't use social networking sites like Facebook," she says. "But that is not very realistic in the world we live in today. We think it is important to have a good policy, but I can't tell you what that policy will look like yet."