Disrupting Fellow Education Through Group Texting

As most medical trainees struggle with having limited time, group social media platforms may help enrich an emerging framework for fellowship education and lifelong learning, according to an FIT/Early Career column published Dec. 17 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Ajar Kochar, MD, MHS; Jennifer Rymer, MD, MBA; and Zainab Samad, MD, FACC, describe a group text platform using WhatsApp, which allows fellows to rapidly share and discuss educational material through a group text, case-based format. Participants post interesting cases, often with images, and the group engages in discussions regarding diagnosis and management plans. In a response to the column, Gina P. Lundberg, MD, FACC, comments that "using WhatsApp showed not only an original methodology for medical education, but also a conscientious desire to be inclusive and interactive with clinical case vignettes." She adds, "The keys to a successful mobile app clinical education program will need to include significant faculty engagement and trainee participation, diverse and challenging cases, faculty oversight, and a code of conduct.