Education Research: A Qualitative Analysis of the Role of Social Media in Neurology Trainees' Professional Identity Formation

Professional Identity Formation (PIF) is a dynamic process by which students and trainees integrate the professional values, expectations, and community norms of the medical community into their personal identity. PIF is often understood as occurring through socialization into a Community of Practice (CoP). Despite the growing use of social media by medical trainees, little is known about how PIF unfolds in virtual environments and the extent to which social media use can influence the career development of trainees. In this study, we explored how participation in a social media community (“#NeuroTwitter”) influenced PIF and career development among neurology trainees.