The Urology Match: Social Media, Program Factors, and Their Effect on Application Trends.

Abstract

Purpose: With the growing interest in urology, it is increasingly important and useful to understand the factors that attract urology residency applicants to programs. We sought to investigate the impact of social media and other program-related characteristics on the application rates of urology residency programs.

Materials and methods: Match cycle data for 2019-2022 was collected for 140 accredited urology residency programs in the United States. The associations between the number of applicants, program social media presence and activity, Doximity rankings, program size, city population, and city quality of life were assessed. Multivariate analyses were conducted.

Results: Programs with Twitter/X, Facebook, and YouTube had significantly more applicants than those without (p < 0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between application rates and activity metrics on Twitter/X but not on other platforms (p < 0.05). Programs with more residents and higher reputation rankings received more applications from 2019 to 2022, including in the multivariate model (p < 0.05). Programs in cities with larger populations, but not better city quality of life rankings, received significantly more applicants from 2019 to 2022 (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions: Programs should prioritize the use of Twitter/X to enhance their visibility, showcase their strengths, and connect with applicants. Reputation rankings and program size have the greatest effect on application rates, while city population and overall social media presence also play important roles. Residency programs can leverage these insights to enhance their appeal to potential applicants who might be the best "fit".