Evaluation of the Use of Social Media and Virtual Meeting Platforms in the Pursuit of Pharmacy Residency Training

Introduction: The American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists (ASHP) and American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Residency Directories are two of the more traditional resources available to pharmacy students and residents looking for post-graduate programs. More recently, social media platforms have grown as an innovative means of resident recruitment and program marketing. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of social media by both PGY1 and PGY2 candidates in their pursuit of post-graduate training through the disbursement of a survey. Methods: A survey consisting of 14 questions ranging from multiple-choice questions to free-text options was emailed out to the Office of Experiential Education from 141 ACCP-accredited pharmacy schools and 1341 ASHP-accredited PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program Directors, requesting them to forward the email to their students or residents. Results: There were a total of 714 respondents to the survey. A majority of surveyors were in the process of completing a PGY1 residency training program (70.6%). The most common platform used to research pharmacy residency programs was the ASHP directory (97.3%). A majority of respondents did not use social media to research residency programs (66.7%). Out of the ones who did use social media, Instagram was the most common platform used and provided the greatest insight into the residency program. About 60% of respondents preferred Zoom as the virtual meeting platform during interviews. Conclusion: Although social media may not be the main source of information candidates are using, residency program accounts can provide residency programs with a free additional tool for recruitment.