General Surgery Residency Applicants’ Perspective on Social Media as a Recruiting Tool

Fuller, Carson C; Deckey, David G.; Brinkman, Joseph C.; Tummala, Sailesh V.; Lu, Patricia G; Mishra, Nitin; Bingham, Joshua S.

doi:10.1016/j.jsurg.2022.06.003

Cited by 10 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 17 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Of the respondents who followed PCSM accounts, 22% reported a positive effect on their perception of the program. This nding aligns with prior research on the positive impact of social media presence on applicant perception of a program (Butler, 2022, Fuller, 2022. For example, a study conducted on rst year residents demonstrated that 68% (39/57) of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that their perception of a program was positively in uenced by the residency program's social media account (Plack, 2023).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

The Impact of Social Media Presence on Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship Recruitment: A Cross-Sectional Study

Woolridge,

Bloyd,

Taylor

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background The COVID-19 pandemic limited in-person recruitment opportunities for many training programs at academic medical centers. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of social media use among Primary Care Sports Medicine (PCSM) fellowship programs and to investigate the impact of social media on recruitment. Additionally, potential barriers to social media interaction between programs and applicants were examined. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using publicly available online sources to identify PCSM fellowship programs and corresponding social media accounts. PCSM Fellowship directors were surveyed regarding their program's use of social media. Prospective PCSM Fellowship Applicants and current fellows were surveyed to determine their interaction with PCSM fellowship social media accounts and how social media influenced their perception of the programs. Results A total of 211 PCSM fellowship programs were identified on the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) website, of which 83% had a social media presence. The most commonly used platforms were Instagram (43%), Facebook (30%) and Twitter (24%). Among the surveyed fellows and applicants, 95% reported using social media, with 35% reported following PCSM accounts. Of those who did not follow, the most common reason was lack of awareness of these accounts. 22% of respondents indicated that social media positively influenced their perception of a program and its rank list position, while the remainder reported a neutral effect. 47% of the fellowship directors reported their program did not have official guidelines for appropriate social media use. Lack of time, resources, and oversight were identified as the most common barriers to social media use. Conclusions A majority of PCSM fellowship programs, fellows, and applicants are present on social media. Social media presence can positively impact an applicant’s view of a program. However, applicants’ lack of awareness of these accounts may serve as a barrier for interaction. The development of universal guidelines for appropriate social media use may help increase adoption and utilization of social media platforms for PCSM fellowship recruitment, particularly during times when in-person recruitment opportunities are limited.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

The Impact of Social Media Presence on Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship Recruitment: A Cross-Sectional Study

Woolridge,

Bloyd,

Taylor

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…At the same time, residency applicants across multiple disciplines have reported using social media websites to gain information about a program's culture, stay informed about event dates, and learn about residents' social life [12][13][14]. In particular, Twitter offers a unique platform for networking compared to other social media outlets because it allows users to showcase their achievements, follow program updates, discover educational resources, and connect with other applicants [3,15].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The COVID-19 Applicant: The Rise of Twitter Among Matched Neurosurgery Applicants

Sciscent,

Pearson,

Ryan

et al. 2023

Cureus

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction: Social media is becoming increasingly ubiquitous in the professional realm. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic accelerated the shift towards utilizing social media to network and disseminate information, especially via Twitter. Neurosurgery programs have also leveraged Twitter to inform and attract applicants. Objective: The purpose of this study is to identify factors influencing the adoption of Twitter by matched neurosurgery applicants before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A list of matched U.S. neurosurgery residents from just before the start of the pandemic (2019-2020) to after the peak of the pandemic (2021-2022), was collated. Twitter was searched to evaluate the presence of a professional account at the time of Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) submission. The following demographic variables were collected: gender, medical school, and matched residency institution. Results: Over four application cycles (2019-2022), 897 matched residents were evaluated in the study. Overall, 31.1% had a Twitter account during the time of their residency application. In particular, international medical school graduates were more likely to have a Twitter platform compared to U.S. applicants (50.0% vs. 29.7%; p=. 001). The percentage of matched neurosurgery applicants with a Twitter profile significantly increased during the pandemic (21.0% vs. 41.1%; p<. 001) with a two-fold increase from 20.0% to 39.7% ( p< .001) in U.S. applicants. Conclusion: Over the past four years, an increasing number of matched neurosurgery applicants have adopted a Twitter presence during application. Driven by the increasing use of social media and accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Twitter has become an important tool leveraged by during the application process.

show abstract

“…When used by hospitals and individual physicians, social media activity has been associated with improvements in patient satisfaction 5 , 6 , patient-physician relationships 7 , healthcare utilization 5 , 8 , research collaboration, and productivity 8 . Among medical training programs, social media use has benefited resident and fellow education and recruitment 9 , 10 . The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this recent expansion in the use of social media by individuals and institutions alike as digital platforms became the central means of communication amid lockdowns and physical distancing 11 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of Social Media in Orthopaedic Surgery Training and Practice

Feroe,

Only,

Murray

et al. 2024

JBJS Open Access

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Social media use has grown across healthcare delivery and practice, with dramatic changes occurring in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The purpose of this study was to conduct a comprehensive systematic review to determine the current landscape of social media use by (1) orthopaedic surgery residencies/fellowship training programs and (2) individual orthopaedic surgeons and the change in use over time. Methods: We searched 3 electronic databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, and Embase) from their inception to April 2022 for all studies that analyzed the use of social media in orthopaedic surgery. Two reviewers independently determined study eligibility, rated study quality, and extracted data. Methodology was in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Results: Twenty-eight studies were included, of which 11 analyzed social media use by orthopaedic surgery residency and fellowship training programs and 17 examined its use by individual orthopaedic surgeons. Among residency and fellowship programs, Instagram was identified as the most common platform used, with 42% to 88% of programs reporting program-specific Instagram accounts, followed by Twitter/X (20%-52%) and Facebook (10%-38%). Social media was most commonly used by programs for recruitment and information dissemination to prospective residency applicants (82% and 73% of included studies, respectively). After the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a 620% and 177% increase in the number of training programs with Instagram and Twitter/X accounts, respectively. Individual use of social media ranged from 1.7% to 76% (Twitter/X), 10% to 73% (Facebook), 0% to 61% (Instagram), 22% to 61% (LinkedIn), and 6.5% to 56% (YouTube). Conclusions: Instagram, Twitter/X, and Facebook are the premier platforms that patients, residency applicants, and institutions frequent. With the continued growth of social media use anticipated, it will be critical for institutions and individuals to create and abide by guidelines outlining respectful and professional integration of social media into practice. Level of Evidence: Level IV.

show abstract

General Surgery Residency Applicants’ Perspective on Social Media as a Recruiting Tool

Cited by 10 publications

References 17 publications

The Impact of Social Media Presence on Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship Recruitment: A Cross-Sectional Study

The Impact of Social Media Presence on Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship Recruitment: A Cross-Sectional Study

The COVID-19 Applicant: The Rise of Twitter Among Matched Neurosurgery Applicants

Use of Social Media in Orthopaedic Surgery Training and Practice

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About