title: Social networking profiles and professionalism issues in residency applicants: an original study-cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the frequency of social networking, the degree of information publicly disclosed, and whether unprofessional content was identified in applicants from the 2010 Residency Match.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Medical professionalism is an essential competency for physicians to learn, and information found on social networking sites may be hazardous to the doctor-patient relationship and an institution's public perception. No study has analyzed the social network content of applicants applying for residency.
  
  
  METHODS
  Online review of social networking Facebook profiles of graduating medical students applying for a residency in orthopedic surgery. Evidence of unprofessional content was based upon Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education guidelines. Additional recorded applicant data included as follows: age, United States Medical Licensing Examination part I score, and residency composite score. Relationship between professionalism score and recorded data points was evaluated using an analysis of variance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nearly half of all applicants, 46% (200/431), had a Facebook profile. The majority of profiles (85%) did not restrict online access to their profile. Unprofessional content was identified in 16% of resident applicant profiles. Variables associated with lower professionalism scores included unmarried relationship status and lower residency composite scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is critical for healthcare professionals to recognize both the benefits and risks present with electronic communication and to vigorously protect the content of material allowed to be publically accessed through the Internet.
authors.affiliation: Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama, USA. brent.ponce@ortho.uab.edu
authors.forename: Brent A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Ponce
authors.forename: Jason R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Determann
authors.forename: Hikel A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Boohaker
authors.forename: Evan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sheppard
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: McGwin
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Theiss
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005607:Fraud; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D009985:Orthopedics / Q000193:education*; D028743:Professional Misconduct; D060756:Social Networking; D014481:United States