Social Media Changes in Pediatric Residency Programs During COVID-19 Pandemic

J Clay Pruett; Kristin Deneen; Harrison Turner; Thomas Kozar; Nikhi P Singh; Timothy W King; Michele H Nichols

doi:10.1016/j.acap.2021.06.004

Social Media Changes in Pediatric Residency Programs During COVID-19 Pandemic

Acad Pediatr. 2021 Sep-Oct;21(7):1104-1107. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2021.06.004. Epub 2021 Jun 12.

Authors

J Clay Pruett¹, Kristin Deneen², Harrison Turner², Thomas Kozar², Nikhi P Singh², Timothy W King³, Michele H Nichols⁴

Affiliations

¹ School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham (JC Pruett, K Deneen, H Turner, T Kozar, NP Singh, TW King). Electronic address: Jcp003@uab.edu.
² School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham (JC Pruett, K Deneen, H Turner, T Kozar, NP Singh, TW King).
³ School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham (JC Pruett, K Deneen, H Turner, T Kozar, NP Singh, TW King); Children's of Alabama (TW King, MH Nicholas), Birmingham, Ala; Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham (TW King); Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham (TW King); Plastic Surgery Section, Birmingham VA Medical Center (TW King), Birmingham, Ala.
⁴ Children's of Alabama (TW King, MH Nicholas), Birmingham, Ala; Department of Pediatrics, Division of Emergency Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham (MH Nicholas).

PMID: 34126258
DOI: 10.1016/j.acap.2021.06.004

Abstract

Objective: To describe pediatric residency program's virtual presence and opportunities for the 2021 application cycle.

Methods: A total of 202 pediatric residency programs from the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) were reviewed for departmental and residency Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts. These accounts, residency websites, and the Visiting Student Application Service (VSAS) were reviewed for open house opportunities and virtual subinternships. All data were collected from October 12-15, 2020.

Results: A total of 261 social media accounts were identified. 123 (61%) programs had at least one account, with 32 (16%) programs having presence on all 3 platforms. 68 (34%) programs established new accounts after March 1, 2020. Instagram appeared most utilized with 106 (52%) programs having accounts. A total of 115 virtual open house opportunities were offered with most offers on Instagram by 61 (30%) programs. Only 2 virtual subinternships were listed on program websites, 2 on Twitter, 1 on Instagram, and 1 on Facebook.

Conclusions: COVID-19 increased the number of social media accounts used by residency programs. Approximately one-third of all accounts were created after March 1, 2020. However, only 16% of residency programs have a presence on all 3 platforms, allowing for more online growth.

Keywords: COVID-19; medical education; residency application; social media; virtual.

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Child
Humans
Internship and Residency*
Pandemics
SARS-CoV-2
Social Media*