Given how aggressive medical college admissions may be, potential college students know that they want distinctive grades, a excessive MCAT rating and loads of extracurricular actions. However many candidates is probably not conscious that their social media presence could have an effect on their probabilities of acceptance.
In a examine revealed in 2013, medical college admissions officers responded to a survey on their perceptions of candidates’ use of social media and the impact it may have on the admissions course of. Though solely about 9% of the admissions officers stated they routinely checked candidates’ social media on the time, about 50% stated that unprofessional content material on an applicant’s social media community may negatively have an effect on his or her probability for acceptance.
Whereas the examine is a decade previous, the precedent that it establishes doubtless rings true now greater than ever. Fb now boasts virtually 3 billion customers whereas TikTok, which wasn’t round when that examine was revealed, has about 1.5 billion customers.
As the usage of social media has expanded, it is doubtless that an rising variety of medical college admissions choices are influenced by it. Listed below are solutions to questions that med college candidates could have about social media utilization.
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Why Do Admissions Committees Care About What Is on Social Media?
The American Medical Affiliation’s opinion concerning the usage of social media in medication particulars a number of features of how social media use needs to be managed.
One vital side is that docs should be conscious that “actions on-line and content material posted could negatively have an effect on their reputations amongst sufferers and colleagues,” and may have an effect on a medical profession, particularly for medical college students.
The purpose is, medication is a career, and as a doctor you may be held to excessive requirements of professionalism each in and out of doors your observe. Medical college admissions committees need to make sure that they recruit college students who will be capable to keep this anticipated degree of professionalism in med college and past.
What Is Thought-about Unprofessional?
Most organizations, together with the AMA, acknowledge that any posting pertaining to sufferers is strictly unprofessional.
Some premedical college students wish to put up footage of a surgical procedure they noticed or an outline of a specific affected person case, however this needs to be averted. Though no figuring out particulars could also be current, affected person confidentiality needs to be held within the highest regard. Do not ever put up patient-related content material on-line, even on safe web sites.
Different content material that may be thought-about unprofessional are photographs or textual content associated to medication, alcohol or sexual behaviors. Additionally contemplate how moral, cultural or racial feedback or photographs might be interpreted. Any unlawful behaviors may instantly elevate purple flags for the admissions committee.
What if My Profile Is Set to Personal?
As a premed scholar, it’s important to set your profile settings in all social media accounts to personal. Nonetheless, there may be some objects which are discoverable even when your account is non-public.
Take a minute to Google your self and see what comes up. Are there photographs or textual content that might be considered negatively? If that’s the case, modify your use of social media so this content material is minimized or, ideally, absent.
Many med college candidates could “buddy” their scholar interviewer that they interviewed with at a medical college. Be cautious when making these connections, as now you’re permitting somebody who can have an affect in your admissions determination to view your content material.
The most secure situation is to by no means put up unprofessional content material, as it might be discoverable in a roundabout way.
Ought to I Simply Not Use Social Media?
Stopping all use of social media will not be mandatory. Actually, many med colleges have embraced social networks as a way to launch info to college students and improve class cohesion.
As an alternative of deleting your profiles, once more, take time to evaluate your privateness settings. Additionally, earlier than posting, ask your self if the content material might be perceived as unprofessional. If there’s any doubt, then it’s safer to not put up that particular picture or textual content.
Being a health care provider is a privilege, and the excessive requirements of professionalism needs to be established early in your profession to make sure efficient collaboration together with your friends – and to keep up the belief granted to you by your sufferers.