The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed medical education, including the upcoming residency application cycle. External rotations have been restricted, but virtual opportunities for applicants have not yet been assessed.
Objective(s)
To describe how neurosurgical residency programs are adapting to the 2021 application cycle through augmented social media usage and establishment of virtual sub-I’s and open houses.
Methods
One hundred fifteen separate programs were identified on ERAS. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, residency websites, and the Visiting Student Application Service (VSAS) were reviewed for virtual open house and sub-I opportunities. Professional neurosurgery society websites were also reviewed. All data is updated as of February 14 th, 2021.
Results
Eighty-eight (77%) programs had some social media presence. Fourty-three (30%) departmental accounts were created in 2020. Twenty-four (57%) of the residency program accounts were created in 2020. Programs offered 35 (18%) open house opportunities on Twitter, 19 (17%) on Facebook, and 23 (20%) on Instagram. Nineteen (17%) virtual sub-I opportunities were on Twitter, 9 (8%) on Facebook, and 10 (9%) on Instagram.
Virtual opportunities were updated on 13 (12%) residency websites. The National Neurosurgery MedEd website had the most website listings of virtual opportunities with 34 (30%) programs listing open houses and 18 (16%) programs listing virtual sub-I’s. No program specific virtual opportunities were found on the AANS or CNS websites. VSAS identified only 4 (4%) virtual sub-internships.
Conclusion
Many neurosurgical residency programs increased their virtual presence amid the COVID-19 pandemic. More programs could utilize these platforms to mitigate applicant restriction in upcoming neurosurgery residency application cycles.
