Determining the effects of social media engagement on surgery residents within the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons

Methods

Results

The data analyzed 1,179 DO surgical residents across five specialties (General Surgery, Urology, CT Surgery, Neurosurgery, and Plastic Surgery) that observed the distribution and impact of social media engagement, specifically on X. The highest proportion of X accounts was seen in CT Surgery, in which 75 % of residents (3 out of 4) held accounts, significantly greater than Urology (46.4 %, or 51 out of 110), Neurosurgery (28.6 %, or 16 out of 56), General Surgery (17.3 %, or 173 out of 1,000), and Plastic Surgery (11.1 %, or 1 out of 9) (Figure 1). It is worth noting that the number of residents in Plastic Surgery (9) and CT Surgery (4) with X accounts were notably lower than that of other specialties.

Figure 1:

The number of residents training in surgical specialties over postgraduate years. The graphs show the number of residents in various surgical specialties (General Surgery in green, CT Surgery in red, Urology in orange, Neurosurgery in blue, and Plastic Surgery in pink) by postgraduate year. Each plot differentiates between total residents (circles) and those with an X account (squares). Trends indicate variability in resident numbers across specialties and years, comparing total residents vs. those with X accounts. CT, cardiothoracic; w/, with.

X has restrictions for accounts that are not following nor subscribed to X’s premium services; thus, the ability to contact residents with X accounts was limited. The ability to be contacted was analyzed, and it was found that Neurosurgery residents had the highest contact rate at 50 %, with 8 out of 16 residents reachable. This was significantly higher than General Surgery, in which only 3.5 % (6 out of 173) could be contacted. Engagement activities revealed that direct tweeting on X proved to be an effective strategy for Neurosurgery, with a high signup rate postcomment.

There were significant variances of the use of X across specialties. The odds of having an X account were notably higher in subspecialties than in General Surgery, with CT Surgery having an odds ratio (OR) of 11.13 (p=0.02), Urology with an OR of 4.132 (p<0.0001), and Neurosurgery with an OR of 1.943 (p=0.047) (Figure 2).

Figure 2:

The total number of residents in various surgical specialties with and without X. Graphs are divided into those without X accounts (blue) and those with X accounts (brown). The OR was determined for each specialty as compared to General Surgery. CT, Cardiothoracic; NS, nonsignificant; OR, odds ratio.

There were also significant engagement differences, with CT Surgery showing an 18.38 times likelihood of engaging through X, although this was not statistically significant (p=0.099). Active engagement revealed that out of all of the residents with X accounts, 33.3 % (n=1) of CT Surgery, 18.6 % (n=3) of Neurosurgery, 7.9 % (n=4) of Urology, and 2.9 % (n=5) of General Surgery residents signed up for the mentorship program, with no Plastic Surgery residents participating in the mentorship program (Table 1). Notably, General Surgery had the highest number of residents with X accounts (173), but only five of them were contactable, and only five signed up after the initial contact. However, it should be noted that 1,000 General Surgery residents were identified (Figure 3).

Figure 3:

The total number of residents who joined the mentorship match program. The bar graphs distinguish residents with X accounts who did not sign up (blue) and those who signed up (brown) to be mentors. ORs were determined in comparison to general surgery. CT, cardiothoracic; NS, nonsignificant; OR, odds ratio.

Discussion

This study explored the current landscape of osteopathic surgical residents on social media, specifically X, and its potential to foster mentor–mentee relationships in the surgical disciplines. Previous studies have documented X as a frequently utilized platform by medical professionals [11]. The breadth of an X account presence parallels the increase in General Surgery residency programs with X accounts in recent years [12]. The results from our study also indicate that, overall, 20.7 % of osteopathic surgical residents have an X account, with representation from each specialty studied: General Surgery, CT Surgery, Urology, Plastic Surgery, and Neurosurgery. However, the percentage of residents with an account varied widely by specialty. CT Surgery had the highest percentage of residents with an X account at 75 %, followed by Urology at 46.4 %. Plastic Surgery had the lowest percentage with 11.1 %, and it was also the least contactable specialty.

The significant variability of X usage between specialties is noteworthy. The most notable difference exists between General Surgery and the surgical subspecialties. This discrepancy is evident in the presence of an X account and the level of engagement on X. These findings within the osteopathic surgery community corroborates with previous findings regarding surgical subspecialties more broadly.

More frequent use of social media has been found in plastic surgeons, colorectal surgeons, and head and neck surgeons compared to general surgeons [13], [14], [15], [16]. The results from this study highlight CT Surgery (OR: 11.13) and Urology (OR: 4.132) as specialties with higher ORs, suggesting that they may offer more engagement for connection and mentorship. This could be attributed partly to social media’s collaborative research opportunities [17]. Students applying to surgical subspecialties often possess a considerable number of research publications and experiences to be seen as competitive applicants [18]. This has the potential to increase the utilization of social media within these specialties as a means to pursue external and collaborative research opportunities. This may also explain the high ability for contact of Neurosurgery residents (50 %). It is of note that surgical subspecialties that historically have higher research metrics for match also had the highest percentage of sign-up for mentorship: CT Surgery (33 %) and Neurosurgery (18.8 %).

Social media, notably X for this study, presents an opportunity for osteopathic medical students to find mentors. It can facilitate mentorship by forming new mentor–mentee relationships to transcend geographic and institutional barriers, thus allowing DO students pursuing surgery to connect with mentors at institutions across the United States [19]. Social media also introduces additional opportunities for mentorship because information about networking opportunities that lead to attaining mentors is frequently disseminated on X. Furthermore, mentorship programs for various surgical specialties are often shared on X. Many students might not have otherwise encountered these opportunities without being on X.

While this phase of the study aimed to assess X engagement among DO surgical residents to establish a mentorship program, future steps will focus on evaluating the mentor–mentee pairings. Aspects of mentoring are unique to each pairing and may include factors such as advice in applying to residency and collaborative research works. Plans include conducting assessments at 3 and 6 months to help determine whether quality mentors can be recruited through X and whether mentorship is effective. Additionally, they will explore the extent to which these relationships benefit DO medical students by either strengthening their interest in surgical specialties or expanding their scholarly work to enhance competitiveness for residency. The collection of longitudinal data is necessary for understanding how sustained relationships evolve over time, and lead to measurable outcomes in student development and career progression.

Limitations

A limitation of this study is that only 13 residents signed up for the mentorship program, resulting in a small sample size. In addition, this study relies on publicly available data, presenting a limitation because the reliability of the data depends on the residency program’s diligence in updating its information annually. Not all residency programs have publicly available information about their residents, so information about all residency programs cannot be found. However, the majority of surgical residency programs have their residents present on their website. Also, it must be noted that there is an inability to fully verify whether the identified social media accounts belonged to the residents. Accounts were cross-referenced with program rosters and residency websites when possible and excluded those lacking identifiable information, such as names or institutional affiliations. However, complete verification was not feasible without direct confirmation from account holders. A limitation of this study is that certain residents who utilized X actively during medical school have since ceased utilizing the platform upon entering residency, rendering them uncontactable through this medium. This limitation restricts the accuracy of assessing mentorship interest solely based on X engagement, because non-usage does not equate to a lack of interest in mentoring. It is essential to recognize that many osteopathic surgical residents may not have an X account at all, suggesting that low engagement rates on X should not be interpreted as indicative of a general disinterest in mentoring among DO surgical residents. These factors may affect the representation of true mentorship interest within this study. Alternative methods for approaching residents, such as disseminating flyers with pictures through X or offering compensation discounts for registration at ACOS conferences, were not evaluated. Additionally, changes to the verbiage of the initial X solicitation were not made.

Conclusions

The widespread implications of social media access and use in the medical field remains relatively underexplored and will continue to be studied. However, utilizing social media as a bridge to connect mentors and mentees is an opportunity to provide medical students with insight into the surgical disciplines. Mentorship and engagement from seniors in medicine have been the foothold that has provided each new generation of surgeons. The most opportune platform for establishing this connection has yet to be established and compared. The variability in social media usage across different surgical specialties suggests that while some fields are less engaged, others may benefit from increased utilization of these platforms to establish mentorship. In the modern era, social media provides a unique opportunity to overcome geographic and institutional barriers, allowing some osteopathic medical students to connect with mentors nationwide. Further studies should assess other social media platforms, such as LinkedIn, TikTok, and Instagram, to determine the platforms where surgical residents would have higher levels of engagement in the medical community.