Utilization of Instagram by Psychiatry Residency Programs in a Virtual Recruitment World

Abstract

Objective Many psychiatry residency programs use Instagram to provide information about their program. This study assesses the content and engagement on psychiatry residency program Instagram accounts. Methods A full list of psychiatry programs was gathered from the American Medical Association Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database (FREIDA). FREIDA was used to collect demographic information about a program. Program Instagram accounts were reviewed and assessed for content, and engagement scores were analyzed. Univariate and multivariate regression was used to analyze the information collected from the Instagram accounts. Results There are 109 (42.9%) psychiatry residency programs with Instagram accounts; 99 (90.8%) accounts were opened in 2020. Analysis of the content of posts revealed posts with the following themes: 50.5% were departmental, 21.9% were social, 14.9% were other, 10.1% were academic and professional, and 2.6% were educational. Using multivariate regression, a higher total number of followers was correlated with the total number of accounts followed ( p ≤ 0.001) and Instagram stories ( p = 0.047) ( R 2 = 0.579). Engagement score was correlated with a total number of followers ( p ≤ 0.001), program size ( p = 0.048), and whether an account was active ( p = 0.003) ( R 2 = 0.450). Conclusion Results demonstrate that 2020 led to an increase in the number of psychiatry residency program Instagram accounts and engagement with followers. Instagram provides a way to further promote a program, yet there is room for improvement to diversify the content.

Understanding the Use of Program Resources During Virtual Recruitment by Psychiatry Residency Applicants

“…Residency programs significantly increased their use of social media during virtual recruitment [ 12 ]. According to one study, in March 2021, 109 psychiatry programs had Instagram accounts, with 99 (90.8%) of these accounts being opened in 2020 [ 12 ].…”

“…Residency programs significantly increased their use of social media during virtual recruitment [ 12 ]. According to one study, in March 2021, 109 psychiatry programs had Instagram accounts, with 99 (90.8%) of these accounts being opened in 2020 [ 12 ]. Of the program resource options in this survey, social media had the least impact on applicant decisions for applying and ranking programs, despite most participants reporting the use of social media.…”

Utilization of Instagram by Ophthalmology Residency Programs in the Era of COVID-19

“…Similar trends have been reported in other specialties as well. [20][21][22][23][24] The pandemic jumpstarted an exploration of new ways to interconnect without in-person contact, including ways ophthalmology residency programs disseminate information and solicit interest. Three content categories of posts received significantly more "likes", and all but one category received significantly more comments when comparing engagement before and after January 2020, suggesting Instagram has been a successful method for programs to engage with applicants.…”