A Social Media Analysis of Wellness Culture in Plastic Surgery Residency

Abstract

Background Burnout, “a psychological syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment”, afflicts approximately one third of plastic surgery attending surgeons and residents. Burnout can be detrimental to resident training and patient outcomes. Therefore, cultivating wellness during residency is essential. In fact, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requires residency programs to create learning and working environments that optimize faculty and resident wellness. With increasing social media use by plastic surgery residency programs, this study aimed to analyze their posts for wellness-related content. Methods Integrated plastic surgery residency programs were obtained from the American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons Web site, and their associated social media accounts were identified. The authors reviewed all post images, captions, and comments made by the program's account, until July 3, 2021. Any hashtags relating to wellness were also recorded. Results Of 82 programs, 76 (92.7%) had active Instagram accounts, 31 (37.8%) had active Facebook accounts, and 30 (36.6%) had active Twitter accounts. Instagram had higher rates of engagement than Facebook and Twitter (P < 0.001). Across all platforms, the mean percent of total posts related to wellness was 18.87%. The most common wellness content showcased resident work-life balance (48.73%), followed by educational events incorporating wellness activities (27.61%), attention to physical health (17.71%), healthy work environments (5.29%), wellness-specific activities (3.25%), team building activities (2.40%), and images implying but not directly showing resident wellness (1.46%). Programs did not vary significantly in percentages of total posts related to wellness by geographic region, ranking, or accreditation length. In total, 1893 wellness-related hashtags were used on Instagram, 253 on Facebook, and 72 on Twitter. The most used wellness-related hashtag was #residentlife. Only 40.8% to 50.8% of posts using wellness hashtags met at least 1 wellness criterion. Conclusion Despite the importance of burnout prevention during plastic surgery residency, less than a quarter of residency program social media content promote wellness. Social media can demonstrate how residency programs are incorporating wellness into their curricula, but whether residencies lack sufficient wellness initiatives or are not advertising such programming on their social media accounts remains to be studied.

Social media trends in obstetrics and gynecology residency programs on Instagram and X (Twitter)

“…Our study sought to identify posts including many forms of diversity. Additionally, plastic surgery literature is congruent in our results showing wellness is in the minority posted, despite the recent emphasis on combating burnout in medicine [ 30 ]. Ultimately, programs should consider including content that represents their program’s unique aspects and core values.…”

The Relationship between Plastic Surgery Residency Instagram Characteristics and Doximity Rank

“…Instagram accounts have the ability to candidly show residents’ day-to-day routine at work, resident life outside the hospital, work-life balance, educational highlights, and other aspects of program culture and wellness that would not traditionally be available to applicants. 4 All of these insights provided by social media may influence program rank lists. 5 Social media accounts can also display more widely available information in a novel manner through faculty highlights, alumni features, and publication spotlights.…”

Having Social Media among Integrated Plastic Surgery Applicants: Is It Needed to Match?

“…In fact, one study found that 93% of PRS residency programs had an active Instagram account. 9 SoMe has played a growing role in the residency match process, a trend accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. 10 Although SoMe is not a required component of the match process, the unofficial role it plays is crucial.…”