In a recent survey of medical schools, a small percentage reported using social-media activity to evaluate applicants. In his most recent column on the AAMC's blog, Wing of Zock, Bryan Vartabedian, MD, offers some guidance for those schools that are considering doing more of this. I quite like his summary:
Digital presence does not supplant smarts and skills. The ability of a physician to function in person is critical. But it’s not a zero-sum game. We can continue to mandate high emotional and interpersonal intelligence while devising new ways of seeing physician candidates. If we’re looking for candidates who excel at taking standardized tests and maintaining a high GPA, the application is all you need. Beyond that, seeing an applicant think and create will likely help identify the next generation of uniquely motivated students.
Previously: Discussing a new way to choose medical students and A conversation with 33 Charts’ Bryan Vartabedian about professionalism in social media
