Hematology/oncology fellowship programs’ instagram presence.

Abstract

9047 Background: Since the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, applicants and programs have transitioned to virtual platforms as a surrogate for in-person visits. Social media provides insight into trainees’ experiences, wellness, medical education, and life outside the hospital. Instagram has been reported as the preferred platform and a majority of applicants note that social media content could change their perception of a program.1 Due to the emergence of social media in fellowship recruitment, no studies have analyzed the relationship between Instagram content and hematology/oncology fellowship programs’ perception. Methods: The American Medical Association Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database was used to identify and categorize programs as either community-based (CB), community-based academic affiliated (CBAA), university-based (UB), military, and other. For programs with Instagram pages created prior to 2023, the posts from 2022 were subjectively classified into one of two categorizes, either “Medical Education” or “Fellow Life” based on the emphasis of the caption and image. “Medical Education” encompassed posts that promote education as well as academic accomplishments of trainees and faculty. “Fellow Life” included posts emphasizing culture, wellbeing, camaraderie, and social activities. Post from 2023 were analyzed for Instagram accounts created after 2022. The first image was used for posts containing multiple images. This was exempt from IRB review by Pennsylvania State University. Results: There are 183 accredited hematology/oncology fellowships programs; 60% (n=110) UB, 28% (n=52) CBAA, 9% (n=16) CB, 2% (n=4) others, and 0.5% (n=1) military. Of the 183 programs, 33 Instagram pages representing 18% of programs were identified (binomial test, p<0.0001), consisting of 70% (n=23) UB, 24% (n=8) CBAA, and 6% (n=2) CB. UB programs were significantly more likely to have an Instagram (Fisher’s exact test p<0.0001). Posts highlighting “Fellow Life” were significantly more frequent than those emphasizing “Medical Education” (Wilcoxon signed rank test, p = 0.001) (interquartile range: 65% (50-84%) vs. 36% (17-50%)). Conclusions: Despite the implementation of virtual interviews, an overwhelming majority of hematology/oncology fellowship programs do not have an Instagram page. Those with Instagram emphasize extracurricular wellbeing and culture, which is likely valuable to applicants. In this digital age, Instagram is not just a platform; it is a catalyst for connection, engagement, and decision-making in the hematology/oncology recruitment landscape. We advocate for a strategic embrace of Instagram, a balanced content mix highlighting academic and cultural facets, as a key recruitment strategy, reflecting the unique ethos of each program. Reference: 1. Oliver MG, Kelly K: Student Perceptions and Use of Social Media as Residency Program Information. Fam Med 54:380–383, 2022.