Using Social Media and Snowball Sampling as an Alternative Recruitment Strategy for Research

The COVID-19 pandemic demanded rapid change in health care education, moving many students to online learning. It is important to examine how this shift affected both student perceptions of learning and achievement of learning outcomes. Snowball sampling strategy was used to reach and recruit nursing students, who had shifted to online learning during the pandemic, to participate in a research study survey. This paper outlines the process of snowball sampling using social media, explores the relationship between social media posts and survey completion, describes the strategy's challenges and benefits, and provides recommendations to those who may consider using this novel sampling methodology. (C) 2021 International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.