Adaptations in anesthesiology residency programs amid the COVID-19 pandemic: virtual approaches to applicant recruitment

Abstract

Background The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted residency recruitment in 2020, posing unique challenges for programs and applicants alike. Anesthesiology programs have adopted alternate methods of recruitment, including virtual open houses and social media, due to limiting personal contact rules implemented by AAMC. This study was undertaken to determine the frequency of virtual events hosted and social media accounts created by programs. Methods Anesthesiology residency programs and departments were examined for social media presence on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Programs’ websites and social media posts were reviewed for virtual open house opportunities. Available sub-internships were collected from the Visiting Student Application Service database. Data was collected after 2020–2021 pre-interview recruitment in October 2020. Results Of 153 total anesthesiology residency programs, 96 (63%) had some form of social media presence. The platforms of choice for programs with social media accounts included Twitter (71, or 46%), Instagram (67, or 44%), and Facebook (47, or 31%). Forty of seventy-six residency-affiliated accounts were created after March 1, 2020; Instagram accounts (26 of 40) represented most of these. Most Anesthesiology programs (59%) offered virtual open houses for prospective applicants. Twitter (25%), Instagram (22%), and Facebook (8%) were used by programs to advertise these events. Conclusions Social media presence of anesthesiology residency programs has grown steadily over the past decade, with exponential growth experienced in 2020. This data suggests that anesthesiology residency programs are employing new, mostly virtual, methods to reach prospective applicants during an unprecedented application cycle amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Match Made in Cyberspace: Applicant Perspectives on a Virtual Residency Application Process

“…29 Residency programs have followed suit by expanding their presence online. 6,10,30–32 This includes developing new accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other platforms, as well as posting informational YouTube videos online. To date, few studies have evaluated the utility of these platforms for applicants.…”

“…The switch to virtual interviewing sparked a surge in social media presence. [6][7][8][9] For applicants, social media was used to directly connect with current residents and faculty, learn more about programs, and rank programs. 10 Residency programs' use of social media also increased for nearly all specialties.…”

“…10 Residency programs' use of social media also increased for nearly all specialties. 6 Additionally, residency programs offered a variety of virtual programming prior to, during, and after the interview day. [6][7][8][9] Pre-interview programming was largely advertised on social media, email lists, and program websites.…”

“…6 Additionally, residency programs offered a variety of virtual programming prior to, during, and after the interview day. [6][7][8][9] Pre-interview programming was largely advertised on social media, email lists, and program websites. While program websites were available to all prospective applicants to provide information about a given residency, this was not always the case for social media and email lists.…”

Evaluation of Emergency Medicine Residency Programs’ use of social media in the setting of the COVID‐19 pandemic

“… 15 , 16 One way programs are doing so is by advertising virtual open houses and virtual subinternships on social media. 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 These efforts are not unnoticed by residency applicants. Applicants applying to various specialties have stated that web pages, social media, and virtual interactions are beneficial and do influence the applicant's opinions about a program.…”