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Cited by 53Social Media in Health EducationInnovations in Medical EducationImpact of Technology on Adolescents

The Development and Impact of a Social Media and Professionalism Course for Medical Students

Gomes, Alexandra W., Butera, Gisela, Chretien, Katherine C., Kind, Terry·2017·Teaching and Learning in Medicine
DOI 10.1080/10401334.2016.1275971
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Abstract

PROBLEM: Inappropriate social media behavior can have detrimental effects on students' future opportunities, but medical students are given little opportunity to reflect upon ways of integrating their social media identities with their newly forming professional identities. INTERVENTION: In 2012, a required educational session was developed for 1st-year medical students on social media and professional identity. Objectives include identifying professionalism issues and recognizing positive social media use. The 2-hour large-group session uses student-generated social media examples to stimulate discussion and concludes with an expert panel. Students complete a postsession reflection assignment. CONTEXT: The required social media session occurs early in the 1st year and is part of the Professionalism curriculum in The George Washington University School of Medicine. Reflection papers are graded for completion. OUTCOME: The study began in 2012 and ran through 2014; a total of 313/505 participants (62%) volunteered for the study. Assessment occurred through qualitative analysis of students' reflection assignments. Most students (65%, 203/313) reported considering changes in their social media presence due to the session. The analysis revealed themes relating to a broader understanding of online identity and opportunities to enhance careers. In a 6-month follow-up survey of 76 students in the 2014 cohort who completed the entire survey, 73 (94%) reported some increase in awareness, and 48 (64%) made changes to their social media behavior due to the session (response rate = 76/165; 46%), reflecting the longer term impact. LESSONS LEARNED: Opportunities for discussion and reflection are essential for transformational learning to occur, enabling understanding of other perspectives. Incorporating student-submitted social media examples heightened student interest and engagement. The social media environment is continually changing, so curricular approaches should remain adaptable to ensure timeliness and relevance. Including online professionalism curricula focused on implications and best practices helps medical students develop an awareness of their electronic professional identities.

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  • Another school has designed and implemented a 90 min educational session to raise students' awareness of their new role as medical professionals and the implications for their social media presence.

    “Another school has designed and implemented a 90 min educational session to raise students’ awareness of their new role as medical professionals and the implications for their SM presence (34).”

    From Identifying social media professionalism competencies in Vietnamese medical students: a modified Delphi method (2026) · cites this paper as [34]

  • In 4 studies including medical students, educational interventions were positively accepted by students and showed a positive impact on the way they view themselves and their use of social media.

    “In 4 studies that included medical students as participants [46,48,60,63], educational interventions were positively accepted by students and showed a positive impact on the way they view themselves and their use of SM.”

    From Dangers and Benefits of Social Media on E-Professionalism of Health Care Professionals: Scoping Review (2021) · cites this paper as [48]

  • In Gomes et al's cohort study, 94% of medical students reported some increase in awareness, and 64% made changes to their social media behavior due to the session.

    “In a cohort study by Gomes et al [48], 94% of medical students reported some increase in awareness, and 64% made changes to their SM behavior due to the session, reflecting the longer-term impact.”

    From Dangers and Benefits of Social Media on E-Professionalism of Health Care Professionals: Scoping Review (2021) · cites this paper as [48]

  • Effectiveness of educational interventions about e-professionalism or impact of existing social media policies has been recognized in this review, since numerous studies explored educational interventions for promoting e-professionalism.

    “Effectiveness of educational interventions about e-professionalism or impact of existing SM policies has been recognized in this review, since numerous studies explored educational interventions for promoting e-professionalism [46,48,52,54,55,60,63,81,89,103].”

    From Dangers and Benefits of Social Media on E-Professionalism of Health Care Professionals: Scoping Review (2021) · cites this paper as [48]

  • There have been some examples of rigorous and impactful social media professionalism training, such as that of Gomes et al.

    “Although there have been some examples of rigorous and impactful social media professionalism training like that of Gomes et al.,”

    From Evaluating perceptions of social media professionalism by healthcare workers (2026) · cites this paper as [21]

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Authors
Gomes, A. W., Butera, G., Chretien, K. C., & Kind, T.
Affiliations
  • George Washington University (US)
  • Children's National (US)
Corresponding author
Gomes, Alexandra W.
ORCID
Venue
Teaching and Learning in Medicine
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2017-03-08
Volume
29
Issue
3
Pages
296-303
ISSN
  • 1040-1334 (ISSN-L)
  • 1532-8015
DOI
10.1080/10401334.2016.1275971
OpenAlex
W2594448362
Cited by
53
References
29
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 2
FWCI
6.98
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Teaching and Learning in Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Health › Social Media in Health Education
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Innovations in Medical Education
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
Keywords
social media, professionalism, medical students, professional identity, online identity, reflection, transformative learning, professionalism curriculum, social media behavior, student engagement, expert panel
MeSH terms
Professionalism, Curriculum, Education, Medical, Undergraduate, Humans, Surveys and Questionnaires, Students, Medical, Program Evaluation, Social Media

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