Social Media Presence as a Pharmacist

Social media has made a major impact on everyday life, especially when it comes to obtaining information, staying up to date with family and friends, and creating businesses. Companies have started using social media to showcase and sell their products and reach specific buyer demographics. Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok have morphed into resources that can be utilized by educators, leaders, and students.

As a former residency program director, I began to ask myself if I was engaged enough with the current generation of residents or had the ability to connect and speak their language. I was already a TikTok user because my son had an account, and he would send me videos. As I scrolled through the posts of other content creators, I realized that I can use social media to connect and offer my experiences to new residents who are beginning to walk the path I already traveled.

Having started a residency program from the ground up and held the residency director position for 10 years, I felt like I had enough experience, background, knowledge, and expertise to help new pharmacy graduates entering residency gain readiness by becoming a residency coach. The use of TikTok is a way to gain target demographic followers who prefer to get quick messaging about residency tips in a timely manner.

What is it that I actually provide on TikTok as a residency coach?

Expertise: As a former residency program director, I have managed all aspects of the operations of a PGY-1 residency program. This would include the initiation and requirements to start a residency program, knowledge of accreditation standards, leading and managing preceptors, the interview process, the match process, onboarding residents, and being an advocate. Knowing the details of a residency program and changes that have been made over 10 years can help new graduates and incoming residents have a better understanding of what a program is supposed to provide during their experience.

Constructive Feedback: This is a very important factor during the application phase and interview phase of the pharmacy residency. I have reviewed hundreds of applications from prospective residents, and I can offer advice on what makes a standout application. Because the Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application Service website is standardized for each applicant's use, there are still ways to make your application stand out to a director and the program. Constructive feedback is also imperative during a residency program; it is a developed skill to be able to communicate information to a resident where it is received in a concise, direct, and positive manner.

Leadership and Development: Being the leader of a residency program comes with the background of confidence, social skills, and integrity. An integral part of a residency program is to mentor a new pharmacy graduate to a comfortable place of being a leader in the pharmacy space. How we lead and manage the new generation must be embraced by understanding how new graduates learn and communicate. Social media provides a good resource that assists in this perspective, viewpoints, and the thinking of new graduates. I use social media as a measuring tool to see what is relatable to my followers, what topics stick and/or are liked, and to gauge where the candidates' focus lies in the career of pharmacy.

Being that social media is very popular among the new generation of PharmD graduates, it makes sense that it would be a way to gain access and outreach for young professionals seeking advice from mentor pharmacists who have come before them. Exchanging wisdom and experience between generations can only benefit those who are looking to succeed in the pharmacy profession while avoiding mistakes made by past generations. Pharmacists who have a number of years under their belt possess a wealth of knowledge that can be shared through social media, in a way that is noninvasive and at a student's own leisure.