To explore the role of social media engagement in the professional identify formation of neurology trainees.

Professional identity formation (PIF) is the process through which health professionals develop a sense of self in their profession. PIF occurs through engagement in activities of the profession and is facilitated by self-reflection and mentorship. Social media may offer entry into the neurological community to trainees from diverse settings and geographies, who may not otherwise access this community at their local institutions. We explored how active engagement through X (formerly Twitter) impacted PIF among neurology trainees.

Qualitative methods were selected to explore trainees’ lived experiences. Purposive, criterion-based sampling was used to identify and invite 20 “X-superusers” (defined as being in neurology training or within 6 months of graduation, having >300 followers, and posting within the last 3 months) to participate in 30–45-minute semi-structured interviews.  Transcripts were analyzed inductively using thematic analysis. Themes emerged iteratively, informed by principles of PIF.

Twelve X-superusers participated. X-superusers represented 12 universities, had an average of 1975 followers (range 461-3819), and were interns (4/12, 33%), residents (5/12, 41%), fellows (2/12, 16%), or junior faculty (2/12, 16 %). Four themes emerged for how X engagement influenced PIF: (1) access to mentorship and role models, (2) fostering a sense of belonging in the neurology community, (2) opportunities for academic involvement, (4) access to continual/asynchronous neurology education. Trainees found the Neuro-X community inspiring, educational, and generous. Social media engagement often evolved over time —a trajectory from consumer to promotor to content creator emerged. Downsides of engagement included comparison, time-loss, and navigating personal versus professional identities.

Engagement with social media may enhance PIF in neurology trainees, especially among those without access to neurology mentors, opportunities, and communities through traditional means. Our study suggests elements of PIF may be recreated in an online community.