H. J. Logghe1, A. Salles2, K. A. Chojnacki1, C. J. Yeo1, R. Aggarwal1 1Thomas Jefferson University,Surgery,Philadelphia, PA, USA 2Washington University,Surgery,St. Louis, MO, USA
Introduction: Social media, Twitter (Twitter, Inc., San Francisco, CA) in particular, plays an increasingly influential role in academia and surgical education. Many surgical departments now have Twitter accounts, some with separate accounts for departmental divisions and residency programs. In this capacity, Twitter is used to develop departmental brands, celebrate departmental achievements, and disseminate science pioneered by faculty and residents. Currently few institutions measure social media activity for academic promotion and expectations of program directors to represent their programs on Twitter and other social media remain ambiguous.
Methods: At Surgical Education Week 2018, an in-person workshop on Twitter use for surgery residency programs was held. Topics covered included 1) The importance of a strategic Twitter presence for program directors and residency programs, 2) Initial steps in establishing Twitter accounts as a program director and on behalf of the residency program, and 3) Strategies used to effectively develop a brand on social media for the purposes of enhancing program reputation and recruitment. At the close of the session, a survey was disseminated to all participants.
Results: Seventeen of 25 attendees completed the survey. Twelve of 17 respondents reported a personal Twitter account; 7/15 respondents reported a departmental Twitter account. Eight of ten respondents reported institutional social media guidelines. The majority of respondents strongly agreed residency programs should have a social media presence (1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree; mean 4.29, SD 0.81) and that program branding is part of the program director's role (mean 4.57, SD 0.59). Five of 15 respondents reported feeling well-equipped to fulfill that role. When asked “What are the three greatest challenges to successful residency program social media use?” responses fell into four categories: time (16); content, confidentiality and professionalism (14); institutional support (7); and inexperience (4). Key results are shown in the table.
Conclusion: The majority of program directors reported a personal Twitter account and just under half of their respective programs had departmental Twitter accounts. While the majority of respondents believed program branding is part of the program director's role, only one third felt equipped to fill that role. Respondents rated social media as a useful tool to increase dissemination of departmental research and to increase the number of program applicants. Future research should explore effective social media strategies to disseminate departmental research, promote positive branding, and reach potential users.
