Brand Videos among Orthopedic Surgery Residency Programs

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Medical Education
• Digital Marketing

Background:

• Brand videos offer a dynamic platform for residency programs to attract applicants.
• The adoption of video marketing has increased post-COVID-19, yet not all programs utilize this tool.
• Orthopedic surgery residency programs' engagement with video content remains under-examined.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of brand videos on orthopedic surgery residency program websites.
• To evaluate the content and key messaging within existing orthopedic surgery residency brand videos.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional analysis was conducted on all orthopedic surgery residencies participating in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) in November 2022.
• Program websites were systematically reviewed for the presence of brand videos.
• Data from the content of identified videos were collected and analyzed.

Main Results:

• Forty-seven percent (90/192) of orthopedic surgery residency programs feature a brand video, averaging 6 minutes and 13 seconds in length.
• The most frequently highlighted aspects were a "family friendly atmosphere with camaraderie" (83%) and "early hands-on surgical experience" (72%).
• Few videos (9%) specified desired applicant qualities, and only 19% included contact information or social media links.

Conclusions:

• Less than half of orthopedic surgery residency programs utilize brand videos, potentially due to perceived importance, resource limitations, or unfamiliarity with video marketing.
• The study identifies gaps in current video content, particularly regarding explicit criteria for prospective residents and clear calls to action.
• Recommendations are proposed to guide programs in developing more effective and informative brand videos for recruitment.