JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Due to challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, residency programs in the United States of America conducted virtual interviews during the 2020-2021 application season. As a result, programs and applicants may have relied more heavily on social media-based communication and dissemination of information.

Objective:

We sought to determine social media’s impact on residency applicants during an entirely virtual application cycle.

Methods:

An anonymous, electronic survey was distributed to 465 eligible 2021 Match applicants at four University of California Schools of Medicine in the USA.

Results:

Seventy-two participants (15.5% of eligible respondents), applying to 16 specialties, responded. Of those who responded 53.5% (n = 38) reported following prospective residency accounts on social media, and of those 89.5% (n = 34) were positively or negatively influenced by these accounts. The top three digital methods by which applicants sought information about residency programs included the program website, digital conversations with residents and fellows of that program, and Instagram. Fifty-three percent (n = 38) respondents attended prospective program virtual information sessions. A minority of applicants (26%, n = 19) adjusted the number of programs applied to based on information found on social media, with most (74%, n = 14) increasing the number of programs to which they applied. Survey respondents ranked social media’s effectiveness in allowing applicants to learn about programs at 6.7 (SD +/- 2.1) on a visual analogue scale. Most applicants (86%, n = 61) felt that programs should utilize social media in future application cycles even if non-virtual.

Conclusions:

Social media appears to be an important tool for resident recruitment. Future studies should seek more information on its effect on later parts of the application cycle and the Match.