The #PedsMatch21 Webinar Series: Coordinated Specialty-Level Communication During the Virtual Residency Application Cycle

Problem The landscape of pediatric medical education changed significantly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fourth-year medical students applying to pediatric residency programs were particularly affected by alterations to traditional away rotations, the inability to conduct in-person visits, and resulting changes in ways of communicating with residency programs. Applicants were concerned about the virtual component of the application cycle and worried as to how to manage the COVID-19-related changes. Program leaders also faced apprehension at how to close communication gaps and effectively use virtual tools to reach applicants. Approach Founders of the Twitter-based @FuturePedsRes (FPR) organization recognized these concerns and developed a webinar series during the 2020–2021 academic year to create opportunities for programs and applicants to communicate. Leaders of the Association of Pediatric Program Directors and the Council on Medical Student Education in Pediatrics joined as sponsors and co-hosts. The #PedsMatch21 webinar series consisted of 9 total webinars: 2 overviews, 5 regional, 1 for osteopathic students, and 1 for international medical graduates. Outcomes A total of 138 pediatric residency programs across the country participated in the #PedsMatch21 webinar series. Each webinar brought in a mean of 431 attendees, from the United States and several other countries. Follow-up surveys immediately after each webinar and again at the end of t...
Source: Academic Medicine - Category: Universities & Medical Training Tags: Innovation Reports Source Type: research