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Instagram offers many ways to share information and connect with others.
While the app may be found for food or vacation photos, more and more health care professionals are using Instagram to create a platform and share their views. For pharmacists and medical students, Instagram offers a unique way to share ideas from the profession while connecting with others.
The only aspect of Instagram may seem small at first glance, but sharing photos and stories from medical school allows students to communicate in a very unique way. From non-traditional students to those who used social media to connect with others during the COVID-19 pandemic, we spoke to medical students who use Instagram to source for their medical practice.
Sabrina Zhang
As a third-year student at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) in Boston, Sabrina Zhang began exploring Instagram to document her unique journey as a future pharmacist. His Instagram account, @la.farmacie, has more than 3200 followers and more than 2000 visits per week. Although this is surprising, Zhang said Drug Time® the real value for him is connecting with others.
“For me, the metrics aren’t as important as the meaningful interactions I’ve had [direct messages] and people who are interested in medicine and people who care about health,” Zhang said in an email. “I’m really happy that I can learn from people and help them. in others through some of the knowledge and experience I have.”
As a first-year student, Zhang said she knew very little about the career path in medicine. During his undergraduate years at Boston University in Massachusetts, he devoted himself to connecting with others and finding out about medicine. Her Instagram account was born out of a desire to document her journey as a first-year model and connect with others looking for more information.
The visual aspect of the app is another draw. Zhang said he was able to share interesting projects that combine information and aesthetics. The page has created many new ways to connect with others and find information that may not be available anywhere else.
“Through Instagram, I was able to collaborate with other healthcare providers [and] educational accounts as well as brands reached out for connections,” Zhang said. “I am very grateful for being able to expand my network and connect with pharmacists and medical students but also some other health care students and providers.In a way, this position gave me the opportunity to develop life skills that go beyond what I learn in school.
For now, Zhang said he has no future plans for the page, although he plans to continue using it to share parts of his life as a medical student. Right now, his main focus is on schoolwork. In addition to his PharmD degree, Zhang is working on a Doctorate in Pharmacy and taking classes at MCPHS in addition to studies at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
For others who want to start a professional Instagram account, Zhang said her best advice is to be honest with viewers about your thoughts and experiences. Instagram allows users to share information with viewers outside of the medical field, and medical students and medical professionals can use it to enhance the work that pharmacists do. However, he insisted on maintaining professionalism. “My page is my safe space, where I can share my thoughts and share stories about my experiences and students’ lives,” Zhang said.
Mehr Virk
When the Covid-19 pandemic began, many students found their plans no longer in place. With more free time on her hands, Mehr Virk, a PGY emergency medicine resident, decided to launch a podcast and Instagram account to connect with her audience. More than 2 years later, Virk’s account, @lifeonthepharmpodcast, has a following. The podcast chronicles all about her journey to work as a therapist, and her Instagram presence gives listeners another way to connect.
“For me, Instagram is a great tool to preserve moments and ideas from the past but also to interact in real time with others,” Virk said in an email to a Drug Time®. “It has all the benefits of a blog in terms of being able to communicate in writing, share links, answer questionsfront. information and resources that I hope will help others while revealing other aspects of my life.”
Virk said he likes to keep his things fresh and involved. Instagram offers many ways to connect, including sharing photos, videos, or Reels. Virk also uses Linktree, a platform that allows users to link from Virk’s platform and find out more.
Leadership and support for the medical industry is a big goal for Virk, and he says Instagram can do that every day. “The main reason I decided to share my experiences in the first place was because of the advice and guidance I was given by others who had been in my shoes,” Virk said. “Everything I’ve done to get to where I am today, someone else has either experienced it themselves or knew someone. [had]. Being able to provide knowledge and understanding about the role of a pharmacist can help others better understand medicine.”
Authenticity is important for those who want to grow an Instagram presence, Virk said. He added that following the treatment is a challenge in itself, so knowing when to come back from the platform and living in the moment is important. For now, his plans are to continue sharing stories and actively use Instagram stories to communicate more with viewers. Above all, Virk said medical students should have the opportunity to know what type of career they want to pursue.
Cydney Nicholson
As a mother and older student than ever before, third-year medical student Cydney Nicholson said she launched her Instagram page (@cydney.nicholson) after noticing a lack of hear about prescription drugs. In addition to his work as a PharmD/MPH dual-degree student at Campbell University College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences in Buies Creek, North Carolina, Nicholson is president of the college’s Student Marketing program and the National Pharmaceutical Student Association, vice president of the college’s Ko Kappa Epsilon pharmaceutical fraternity chapter, and treasurer of the college’s Pharmacy Student Governing Board. He has also worked as a lecturer and coach at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.
In addition to all this, Nicholson has created an Instagram platform with more than 2500 followers. In an email to Drug Time®Nicholson said he was drawn to Instagram because of its ease of use with videos, photos, and text that allows him to connect with audiences through direct messages or stories.
“Instagram has helped me connect and connect with so many people in medicine,” Nicholson said. “Through my conversations with Dr Joshua Blackwell on my Instagram page, I was able to become one [Pharmacy Initiative Leaders] communications and internal affairs. I [also] I had Dr. Marissa Brooks (a famous drug developer) as my supervisor and she was amazing.
One of Nicholson’s most popular posts is a short video in which he talks about the joy of canceling a class. Only that video was collected from the views, and Nicholson’s comments allowed him to create a collaboration.
Nicholson said her plans for Instagram are to continue to grow her audience and showcase her life as a medical student, mother, and fiancé. Sometimes Instagram is like a fad, so it adds importance to managing and maintaining a real relationship with its audience.
For pharmacy students who may be hesitant to start a professional Instagram account, Nicholson encourages them to take the plunge. “Your journey can [affect] others.”
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