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Abstract: FR-OR001

Mentorship in the Digital Age: Nephrology Social Media Collective Internship – 2 Year Experience

Session Information

Category: Nephrology Education

  • 1301 Educational Research

Authors

  • Shah, Silvi, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
  • Sparks, Matthew A., Duke University and Durham VA Medical Centers, Durham, North Carolina, United States
  • Leon, Scherly, None, Detroit, Michigan, United States
  • Madariaga, Hector M., Good Samaritan Medical Center, Brockton, Massachusetts, United States
  • Jhaveri, Kenar D., Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine- Northwell health system, Great neck, New York, United States
  • Lerma, Edgar V., Associates in Nephrology, Berwyn, Illinois, United States
  • Yau, Timothy, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States
  • Phelan, Paul J., None, Detroit, Michigan, United States
  • Shah, Nikhil A., None, Detroit, Michigan, United States
  • Poyan-Mehr, Ali, None, Detroit, Michigan, United States
  • Rheault, Michelle N., University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
  • Hiremath, Swapnil, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
  • Topf, Joel M., None, Detroit, Michigan, United States

Group or Team Name

  • Nephrology Social Media Collective Internship Group
Background

Although social media use by healthcare professionals is increasing, formal education is lacking. The Nephrology Social Media Collective (NSMC) internship is a worldwide collaboration among nephrologists to cultivate leaders in the use of social media in medicine by instilling knowledge, competence, and professionalism.

Methods

he NSMC internship was established in 2015. The NSMC faculty consists of 21 individuals who are clinicians, educators, and scientists. The internship is 1 year. Interns are selected on the basis of their curriculum vitae, personal statement, and interest. There is an entrance discussion with each intern to discuss goals followed by quarterly online meetings. Interns are paired with 2 faculty mentors and are expected to contribute 3-4 hours/month. Interns attend NephJC (online nephrology journal club) and participate in NephJC administrative activities (curating a Twitter chat, constructing a visual abstract, writing blog posts or moderating a session). Interns participate in the two required projects - the annual NephMadness contest and the Renal Fellow Network blog. Assessment are based on participation in NephJC, timely completion and quality of projects.

Results

The initial class of 2015 class enrolled 4 interns. The subsequent class of 2016 included 7 interns. The classes were near gender balanced with 6/11 male. There were 6 fellows, 2 medical students, 1 practising physician and 1 nurse. 8 were from USA, 2 from the United Kingdom and 1 from Canada. NSMC internship increased exposure and opportunities for engagement in other social media activities. Following completion, interns became part of NephJC team (N=5) and NephMadness editorial team (N=2). Interns were invited to join International Society of Nephrology’s Social Media Task force (N=2), Women in Nephrology’s communications’ committee (N=2) and ASN’s media and communication committee (N=1). The current class of 2017 has enrolled 9 interns.

Conclusion

NSMC internship provides modern communication skills and opportunities to improve skills in social media. It resulted in successful recruitment of the graduated interns in various social media forums. NSMC internship can be included as a part of nephrology fellowship training curriculum.