MedEdPublish (Nov 2018)
#ChoosePsychiatry #the60secondchallenge – a thematic analysis of videos published on Twitter about reasons for choosing psychiatry
Abstract
Aims and Method #ChoosePsychiatry is the Royal College of Psychiatrist’s social media campaign aimed at medical students and foundation doctors to encourage recruitment into psychiatry. This study explored the reasons given for choosing psychiatry in videos uploaded by psychiatrists to Twitter alongside the campaign, through the use of thematic analysis. Results Each psychiatrist gave different reasons for choosing psychiatry but four main themes were identified: prior experience of psychiatry, career factors, patient factors and knowledge factors. Both undergraduate and postgraduate experiences were influential in choosing psychiatry. In particular, perceived job satisfaction, an opportunity to deliver holistic care and a sense of making a difference were also influential in choosing psychiatry. Clinical Implications Findings here support efforts to improve the undergraduate experience and to increase foundation posts, as well as maintaining some of the current key messages of the campaign. However, whilst engagement with the videos on Twitter was observed, further consideration of the most appropriate social media platform to ensure engagement with the target audience is needed.
