A Medical Student's Perspective on Social Media in the Surgical Field

Abstract

The development and expanding usage of social media (SM) has played a critical role in exposing medical students to the various dimensions of surgery and its subspecialties. Before the existence of SM, medical students exposure to the field of surgery was limited by their time spent in the operating room, geographical location, variety of cases performed at their institution, and the type of specialists associated with their affiliated institution. Although these limitations still exist to some degree, SM has helped overcome these barriers by increasing access, streamlining information and providing an avenue to seek potential mentors and develop relationships with leaders in the field. Herein, we discuss how surgeons and medical educators utilize SM and how medical students interested in surgery can take advantage of these applications to heighten their exposure, establish social networks with leaders in the field, create opportunities for information exchange, and enhance their learning.