Use of Social Media to Ease Transition into Residency: A Pediatric Program Experience

Background: The use of social media in medical education is on the rise. Although a relatively new concept, multiple social media platforms have been used in medical conferences, podcasts, and information sharing. This is especially true for the younger generation of physicians and medical students. Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic limited in-person gatherings, requiring innovative educational strategies and an amplified use of information technology. Formal residency education was taken to a virtual platform and medical school rotations became largely virtual. We implemented a medical education initiative that targets the incoming intern class to the Children’s Hospital of Michigan (CHM) pediatric residency program, with the aim of improving their knowledge and confidence about core pediatrics knowledge and ultimately facilitating their transition into residency.

Methods: An anonymous pre-survey was sent to 36 incoming interns to our categorical pediatrics and combined pediatrics programs. The pre-survey aimed to collect demographic data and information about the individual’s perceived preparedness for residency training. Subsequently, incoming interns were offered to participate in a 10-week-long Instagram-based medical education program, with the aim to deliver basic pediatric knowledge in an interactive and easily accessible way. A curriculum was created to include common general pediatrics topics. Content was structured as described in Figure 1. The program concluded the week prior to interns’ orientation, and a post-survey was sent to gather feedback on the content, accessibility and overall quality of the curriculum. Participation in the surveys and this program was optional. A sample of the Instagram daily content is illustrated in Figure 2.

Results: 33 of 36 (92%) incoming interns completed the pre-survey. 93.9% of participants were between the ages of 25 and 29, 81.8% identified as female. 63.6% felt that the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on their preparation for starting residency training. The majority of the participants (78.8%) were not offered a specialty-specific transition to residency course through their medical schools.
After participating in the Instagram program, 26/33 participants (79%) completed the post-survey. 84.6% of participants found this mode of learning convenient and easily accessible. Additionally, 80.8% reported feeling better prepared to enter residency training and 92.3% felt that their pediatric knowledge was improved.

Conclusion: The use of social media in medical education offers a convenient and user-friendly platform that can be easily integrated into the daily routine of trainees. Furthermore, its use overcomes geographical barriers, facilitating autonomy in learning. Instagram based education is well received by a generation of learners that has already adopted technology into their daily living. Our curriculum filled a gap in residency preparation caused by the pandemic and may benefit future classes. Further research is needed to better understand the optimal use of social media in medical education.