57. PICTURE PERFECT: USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN RESIDENCY MEDICAL EDUCATION

Abstract

Background Social media has become increasingly common in medical education. Residency programs capitalize on resident use of common social media platforms for information dissemination, recruitment and advocacy. However, its specific use in pediatric residency programs has not been elucidated. Objective These authors sought to evaluate current use of popular social media platforms in pediatric residency programs as well as use of social media platforms by pediatric residency interviewees during recruitment. Method Prior to participating in the 2019 APPD enhanced learning session focused on social media's role in graduate medical education, registrants were asked to complete a five-question pre-session survey through their Instagram accounts. The survey was distributed using the “polls” feature of Instagram. Responses were collected from attendees of the conference and were anonymous. Subsequently, a post-match, anonymous survey was sent to interviewees of the University of California/Children's Hospital of Orange County pediatric residency program during the 2018-2019 recruitment season, of which, one question assessed resources to evaluate the program, including social media platforms. Results 24 of 40 (38%) residency programs surveyed have a residency Instagram account. 31 of 36 (32%) residency programs surveyed have a residency Facebook account. Of the 77 post match survey respondents, 37 (48%) ranked Facebook within their top 6 resources used to research and rank the program. 36 (46%) ranked Instagram within their top 6 resources used to research and rank the program. Conclusions Social media platforms are being utilized by pediatric residency applicants in their evaluation of a residency program, yet a minority of residency programs have dedicated social media platforms. This can potentially be due to learning curve, privacy concerns of violating HIPPA policies, and concerns of compromising the patient-doctor relationship.