Lisa Y. Gong, BS, MA (she/her/hers)
Medical Student
Georgetown University School of Medicine
Cookeville, Tennessee, United States
Selena Lugosi, BS
Medical Student
UT Health Science Center San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas, United States
Katrina U. Ngo, DO
Resident Physician
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington, United States
Alethea J. Appavu, DO
Attending Physician/Assistant Professor
Rush University Medical Center
Chicago, Illinois, United States
As the social media presence of the physiatry community continues to grow, the Association of Academic Physiatrists Medical Student Council (AAP MSC) has increased its efforts to reach current and aspiring medical students through platforms such as Twitter/X and Instagram. To date, no study has discussed the best practices and impact of these initiatives.
Design:
Data were collected from AAP MSC’s Twitter/X and Instagram accounts and AAP’s internal records of medical student engagement. Twitter/X posts from the account’s creation in May 2018 to September 2024 were examined. Instagram posts from the account’s creation in May 2023 to present were examined. Segmented regression analyses were performed with breakpoints correlating with MSC social media emergence and growth.
Results:
Since their creation the AAP MSC social media accounts have grown to 3.6k on Twitter/X and 989 followers on Instagram as of September 2024. Segmented regression analysis showed a statistically significant interaction between the inception of AAP MSC social media and AAP medical student memberships (P = 0.00488). Content-wise, posts related to ERAS analyses, interviews with students interested in physiatry, application guidance webinars, journal club, and videos highlighting PM&R rotations had the most impressions. Overall, posts related to sign-ups for mentorship, journal club presentation, or professional development opportunities had greater reach and engagement when compared with posts related to podcasts or community wellness.
Conclusions:
Medical students are increasingly turning to social media to find opportunities to get involved in physiatry. The effective use of social media to increase audience reach by the AAP MSC is associated with increased visibility and medical student participation in AAP initiatives. Therefore, understanding and prioritizing content to fit medical student needs is important to expand AAP’s impact and the growth of the field of physiatry. These insights can translate to other physiatry organizations and residencies to maximize their social media strategy efficacy.
