Use of Facebook and Twitter by Residency Programs in Evaluating Applicants

Personal statement. Letters of recommendation. MSPE. Medical school transcript. ERAS application. Your social media presence. All are important components of the residency application. "Wait a minute," you say. "Did I read that right? Social media presence?"

Some residency programs are now assessing an applicant's social media presence, and possibly using the information in the residency selection process. Researchers at the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami, led by Dr. Carl Schulman, surveyed 600 medical school admissions officers and residency program directors. Nine percent reported using social networking websites in the selection process. The study was published in the Postgraduate Medical Journal.

“There is no question in my mind that some percentage of medical admissions officers and residency directors do go online and Google and Facebook people to see what they’ve got up on their personal sites,” said Dr. Henry Sondheimer in a Kaiser Health News article. Dr Sondheimer is the senior director of medical education projects at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).

In 2008, we raised this as a potential issue in an article written for the Student Doctor Network, and offered advice to residency applicants on how to manage their online presence.

Communicate Meaningful Contributions During the Residency Interview

Which of the following discoveries is credited to a medical student?

A) Heparin

B) Insulin

C) Sinoatrial node

D) Pancreaticobiliary sphincter

E) Ether anesthesia

Give yourself a gold star if you selected any of the above answer choices (if only all standardized exams were this easy!). In fact, the most appropriate answer is not listed and would have been F) All of the Above. You can read about famous discoveries made by medical students in a wonderful article written by Drs. Mark Stringer and Omid Ahmadi published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Surgery.

Today's medical students continue to make significant contributions to patient care, teaching, research, and community service. In reviewing ERAS applications, guiding advisees, and conducting mock interview sessions with residency applicants, I have the great opportunity to hear or read about these fantastic accomplishments.

In residency interviews, I often ask applicants, "What sets you apart from other applicants?" or "Why should our program choose you as a resident?" This question is an ideal opportunity to discuss meaningful contributions you have made as a medical student. You  may not have discovered heparin or insulin but I have yet to meet a medical student who has not made a significant contribution.

To help you identify contributions and communicate them effectively during the residency interview, I refer you to an article I wrote several years ago for the Student Doctor Network:

The Successful Match: How to Succeed in Your Residency Interview

Excerpt from our Book, Success in Medical School, featured on Student Doctor Network

Success in Medical School: Insider Advice for the Preclinical Years is a new resource that offers preclinical students proven strategies for success during the first and second years of medical school. Detailed chapters cover the USMLE, COMLEX, preclinical courses, research, community service, extracurricular activities, mentorship, leadership, and choosing a specialty.

 

 

 

 

Those of you who are familiar with our other books - The Successful Match and Success on the Wards - will see that we have scoured the literature to provide you with evidence-based advice so that you can become an informed medical student. In our experiences advising medical students, we have learned that decisions made early in medical school can have a significant impact on your future career in medicine, including your chances of matching with a particular specialty or program.

 

An excerpt from the book is the featured article on the Student Doctor Network.

Getting into a Radiology Residency

We recently discussed the radiology residency selection process with Dr. Vicki Marx. Dr. Marx is the program director of the radiology residency program at the Keck School of Medicine at USC. Read what Dr. Marx had to say about USMLE scores, research, personal statements, audition electives, and interviews:


Getting into a Radiology Residency


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Residency Interview Success

With residency interviews right around the corner, be sure to read our article about residency interview success on the Student Doctor Network.

In the article, we discuss specific ways in which you can stand out. If you need personalized coaching to improve your interview performance or wish to do a mock interview, contact me through one of the following websites:

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Getting into an Emergency Medicine Residency

We recently discussed the emergency medicine residency selection process with Dr. Jamie Collings, the Executive Director of Innovative Education and an associate professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. For many years, she served as the program director of the emergency medicine residency program at Northwestern. Read what Dr. Collings had to say about shadowing, letters of recommendation, personal statements, and EM clerkship success:


Getting into an Emergency Medicine Residency


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Residency Interview: Keys to Success

No matter how many residency interviews you have completed, be sure to read our latest article about residency interview success on the Student Doctor Network.

Through my own experiences interviewing applicants, and through discussions I have had with other faculty interviewers, I know that few applicants make a concerted effort to stand out from the rest of the pack. I believe that this represents a lost opportunity to really impress the program.

In the article, we discuss specific ways in which you can stand out. If you need personalized coaching to improve your interview performance or wish to do a mock interview, contact me through one of the following websites:

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Visit: IMG Assist

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