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Final Program


Final Program

101 - “Do it for the ‘Gram”: The Role of Social Media in PM&R Residency Recruitment

Thursday, February 27, 2025
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM MST
Objectives: Social media (SM) has become an increasingly important aspect of the residency recruitment process, especially in the era of virtual interviews. This is demonstrated by the expansion of SM accounts for residency programs across surgical fields.1,2,3,4 A survey of general surgery interns in 2021, after the first year of exclusively virtual interviews, showed 71% of interns used SM during the application cycle, compared to 27% of all medical students surveyed in 2011.5,6  The ever-changing norms and engagement types for SM make it a difficult, moving target for residency programs to connect with prospective residents effectively and efficiently, which prompted this pilot study.

Design: Surveys were sent to all Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) residency program coordinators to be shared with current residents. Surveys were posted on social media and shared by several individuals and  PM&R organizations to recruit current residents and applicants. Survey links were also distributed in the exhibit hall at the annual meeting for the Association of Academic Physiatrists in 2024.

Results: Seventy people completed our survey; 24 applicants and 46 current residents. Programs’ SM pages were used by 79% of current applicants and 72% of current residents to evaluate prospective residency programs. The majority used Instagram, followed by Twitter, Doximity, and YouTube. Of SM users, 76% reported SM influenced their rank list and 10% reported a strong influence from SM. The most valued content was rotation specific/”day-in-the-life”, “meet and greet”, and question and answer sessions.

Conclusions: Social media is a valuable tool in the residency recruitment process. Applicants value interaction and in-depth, detailed posts showing current resident life. Future investigation will further identify valued SM content among a residency class who have entirely interviewed virtually.