Instagram and the Podiatric Medicine Residency Match

This pilot study aimed to evaluate the presence and use of Instagram among podiatric medicine residency programs and its effect on the 2023 match process.

Council on Podiatric Medical Education-approved residency programs in the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut were evaluated for the presence of an Instagram account and metrics including number of posts, number of followers, use of highlights, use of reels, and date of last post (to determine account activity). Programs were also analyzed for regional or national ranking (as per the U.S. News & World Report) and total number of adult hospital beds (a proxy for facility size, staff support, and resources). Programs were then evaluated to determine whether they entered Match Phase II (MPII), otherwise known as "the scramble."

Podiatric medicine residency programs with an Instagram account had a lower likelihood of entering MPII (P = .006). Individual Instagram metrics did not correlate with whether a program entered MPII. Regionally or nationally ranked programs tended to have an Instagram account. There was no correlation between total number of adult hospital beds and whether a podiatric medicine residency program has an Instagram account.

This pilot study suggests that podiatric medicine residency programs without an Instagram account should consider establishing one, and those with an account should keep their page current, as Instagram may be an impactful resource for prospective applicants in the match process. Instagram presence of podiatric medicine residency programs in the United States has not been studied to date, making this study the first of its kind.