Rationale and Objectives
The AuntMinnie (AM) and the Student Doctor Network (SDN) online forums are popular resources for medical students applying for residency. The purpose of this study was to describe medical student radiology-related posts on AM and SDN to better understand the medical student perspective on the application and Match process.
Materials and Methods
We reviewed all posts made on the AM and SDN online forums over 5 consecutive academic years from July 2012 to July 2017. Each thread was organized into one of six major categories. We quantified forum utilization over the past 5 years by the total number of and the most frequently posted and viewed thread topics.
Results
We reviewed 2683 total threads with 5,723,909 views. Total number of threads posted and viewed fell by 46% and 63%, respectively, from 2013–2014 to 2014–2015, after which they returned near baseline by 2016–2017, along with an increase in interventional radiology-related posts between 2012–2013 (13%) and 2016–2017 (32%) ( P < .001). The most common application-related topics were preapplication and program ranking advice (20% of all threads and views). Many posts were related to postinterview communication with residency programs (2% of all threads and views).
Conclusions
After a drop in 2013–2014, utilization of AM and SDN increased in 2016–2017, along with increased interest in interventional radiology. Addressing the student concerns identified in our study, especially in preparing residency applications, ranking programs, and navigating difficult situations, such as postinterview program communication, may improve the radiology application process for future medical students and their advisors.
Introduction
The competitiveness of diagnostic radiology (DR) residency waned in the early 2010s, with fewer US senior medical students applying to the field in spite of concomitant increases in the number of open positions each year from 2009 to 2013 . However, there has been a recent uptick in competitiveness of the field, as seen in 2016 , perhaps in part because of the advent of and the increased interest in integrated interventional radiology (IR) residencies, and possibly in part because of the improved job market as the economy improved from 2008 to 2009. Most recently in 2016-17, DR’s competitiveness has been high with 98.4% of postgraduate year 2 positions filled . Furthermore, integrated IR residency was the most competitive residency in 2017, the first year it was offered through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Main Residency Match . In the most recent application cycles, DR has continued to attract talented medical school applicants with high average USMLE step 1 and step 2 scores and high percentage of Alpha Omega Alpha membership comparable to other competitive specialties, such as plastic surgery, dermatology, and orthopedic surgery . Now more than ever, with both DR and IR on the rise in popularity and competitiveness among medical students, it is important that medical students applying to radiology be mentored and guided in a way that will help equip them for success and reassure them of current radiologists’ interest in and attention to student concerns.
Prior studies have shown Internet-based resources to be important resources for medical students applying to radiology. One prior survey of 120 US medical students applying to a single radiology program revealed that program websites were among the most sought-after and highest-rated resources in choosing a program to rank . A second survey study of US medical students confirmed that medical students applying to radiology frequently utilized radiology residency websites to gather information in deciding to which programs they would apply . In this single-center study of 111 students, among social media sites, the AuntMinnie (AM) online forum was the most popular website utilized to seek information about residency programs, with 37% of students reporting that they use the site; Student Doctor Network (SDN) followed closely behind with 10% of students reporting usage . Although both the AM and SDN online forums represent a unique source of anonymous information about medical student concerns regarding the radiology residency application and Match process, no study has evaluated either forum for medical student concerns regarding applying to radiology.
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Materials and Methods
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TABLE 1
Subcategories by Number of Threads and Views From 2012–2013 to 2016–2017 Application Cycles
Major Category Subcategories Number of Total Threads Percent of Total Threads \* Number of Total Views Percent of Total Threads \* Preapplication 1 Applicant advice 338 12.6 702,791 12.3 2 Away electives 44 1.6 49,034 0.9 3 Board scores 46 1.7 137,976 2.4 4 Applicant competitiveness 129 4.8 226,318 4.0 5 Letters of recommendation 52 1.9 46,741 0.8 6 Research 27 1.1 23,107 0.4 Program questions 1 Specific questions about program curriculum or resident experiences 188 7.0 291,392 5.1 2 Program rumors 28 1.0 42,606 0.7 Interviews 1 Interview dates 42 1.6 924,995 16.2 2 Interview advice 55 2.1 108,441 1.9 3 Interview swaps 21 0.8 19,161 0.3 4 Number of interviews needed to match 12 0.5 19,754 0.4 5 Hotel and ride sharing 4 0.15 2,186 0.04 Ranking 1 How to rank programs 382 14.2 706,527 12.3 2 Communication to and from programs 43 1.6 86,576 1.5 3 Final rank lists 16 0.6 93,672 1.6 Match 1 Match results 64 2.4 378,408 6.6 2 Failure to match, questions about the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program, and reapplicants 27 1.0 78,706 1.4 Miscellaneous None 1,165 43.4 1,785,518 31.2
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Results
Online Forum Website Traffic and Trends
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TABLE 2
Thread Posting Trends of Online Forums From 2012 to 2017
Interview Cycle AM Threads SDN Threads Total Threads AM Views SDN Views Total Views 2012–2013 273 288 561 489,985 1,209,158 1,699,143 2013–2014 343 300 643 376,151 900,752 1,276,903 2014–2015 178 127 305 184,385 450,749 635,134 2015–2016 213 438 651 199,698 960,418 1,160,116 2016–2017 195 328 523 161,383 791,230 952,613 Total 1,202 1,481 2,683 1,411,602 4,312,307 5,723,909
AM, AuntMinnie; SDN, Student Doctor Network.
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Topical Trends
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Discussion
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Conclusions
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