Do residency directors ever google your name?

[ArsLongaVitaBrevis]

Do residency directors ever google your name to double check the veracity of your EC record?

Since early 2018, I've been involved with planning a weeklong statewide research conference. I've put considerable time and effort into this conference, but unfortunately due to various reasons (you can PM me if you want them), if you Google my name, I won't come up as a member of the executive planning board. however, this is definitely an EC activity I'd like to list on my CV.

My question is if residency directors ever Google applicants' name to determine if they were telling the truth about their ECs? In my case, it would look like there is a discrepancy, even though if you ask anyone involved, they will tell you that I was a part of the executive planning board.

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[21Rush12]

I’d expect them to ask you about it rather than assume you’re lying. You’ll also have the opportunity to list a contact from the experience who could vouch for you as well.

 

[ortnakas]

I wouldn’t stress it.

 

[atomi]

Yes, absolutely. The resident-selection/interview process is a ridiculously petty circus. PDs and chairs are obsessed about how far down their rank list they fall and will use every last tool they can to gauge which of the best applicants is likely to rank them. They don't really google your name to fact check your C.V. though. They do it to try and see if there's any dirt/red flags on you and determine your personal situation to determine if you're going to want to come and be a good fit.

On a related note, I am also aware of disturbing situations where chairs and PDs will use headshots to preferentially invite the most attractive female applicants or applicants of a certain ethnicity/background.

 

[sella.turcica]

On a related note, I am also aware of disturbing situations where chairs and PDs will use headshots to preferentially invite the most attractive female applicants or applicants of a certain ethnicity/background.

So if I am invited, does it mean that the male PD has a crush on me, even though I'm a dude? Cause I look disturbingly attractive, you know.

 

[Raney Schauer]

No they don't google you.

They have staff for that.

 

[SpartanWolverine]

You'll probably be Google/Facebook searched at some point. Certainly not likely in order to verify an EC, though.

 

[Rekt]

Yes, absolutely. The resident-selection/interview process is a ridiculously petty circus. PDs and chairs are obsessed about how far down their rank list they fall and will use every last tool they can to gauge which of the best applicants is likely to rank them. They don't really google your name to fact check your C.V. though. They do it to try and see if there's any dirt/red flags on you and determine your personal situation to determine if you're going to want to come and be a good fit.

On a related note, I am also aware of disturbing situations where chairs and PDs will use headshots to preferentially invite the most attractive female applicants or applicants of a certain ethnicity/background.

This sounds like pure bull****. ERAS has stated they don't see pictures until an invite is sent.

 

[PeleHonuaMea]

So if I am invited, does it mean that the male PD has a crush on me, even though I'm a dude? Cause I look disturbingly attractive, you know.

Well, obviously!!! Just make sure your social media bathroom selfies are in front of a clean mirror 😛😀

 

[operaman]

I don’t know about our PD but I know I sure as heck google the bejeezus out of people. I don’t think I’d fact check something like that; I’d just assume they got inadvertently left off.

But yes I will google everyone we interview and I will find every social media profile that exists. Yes I can even find the ones who cleverly change their names but keep their profiles; just takes me two minutes instead of ten seconds to find you. Even if you delete your profile I can still find most pics you’ve been tagged in. And I will find and read all your crazy twitter comments too and yes it will be considered in how I think about you as a potential resident.

Seriously, if you want to see a bunch of residents morph into a bunch of Detectives, come see us on interview day. We not only google, but we leverage every connection we have to talk to your local department and even your fellow students back home who may have rotated with you. Best hope I don’t have some degree of connection to that fellow student you threw under the bus back on your surgery rotation! Every single department staff member who helps out is on lookout for attitude problems too and they are not the least bit shy about pointing them out to us! Basically nobody wants to work with a dud for 5 long years.

In essence, you’re best off sanitizing your social media presence and being a good and kind person to literally everyone you meet from the moment you start medical school. Patients are going to google you too for the rest of your career, so might as well get used to it.

 

[atomi]

This sounds like pure bull****. ERAS has stated they don't see pictures until an invite is sent.

Google image search takes 5 seconds. Many PDs and chairs and horny/creepy old men. It happens. Deal with it.

 

[werd]

yes, some will look you up on the internet. if you actually did the activity, then list it on your app.

 

[radsisrad]

Google image search takes 5 seconds. Many PDs and chairs and horny/creepy old men. It happens. Deal with it.

Hey, I'm sure some of the ladies are guilty, too 😉

 

[NicMouse64]

I don’t know about our PD but I know I sure as heck google the bejeezus out of people. I don’t think I’d fact check something like that; I’d just assume they got inadvertently left off.

But yes I will google everyone we interview and I will find every social media profile that exists. Yes I can even find the ones who cleverly change their names but keep their profiles; just takes me two minutes instead of ten seconds to find you. Even if you delete your profile I can still find most pics you’ve been tagged in. And I will find and read all your crazy twitter comments too and yes it will be considered in how I think about you as a potential resident.

Seriously, if you want to see a bunch of residents morph into a bunch of Detectives, come see us on interview day. We not only google, but we leverage every connection we have to talk to your local department and even your fellow students back home who may have rotated with you. Best hope I don’t have some degree of connection to that fellow student you threw under the bus back on your surgery rotation! Every single department staff member who helps out is on lookout for attitude problems too and they are not the least bit shy about pointing them out to us! Basically nobody wants to work with a dud for 5 long years.

In essence, you’re best off sanitizing your social media presence and being a good and kind person to literally everyone you meet from the moment you start medical school. Patients are going to google you too for the rest of your career, so might as well get used to it.

At first I didn't think you were serious as it sounded like way too much work. As I read and realized you were serious I kinda thought..... well ****, that sucks.

 

[operaman]

At first I didn't think you were serious as it sounded like way too much work. As I read and realized you were serious I kinda thought..... well ****, that sucks.

Yeah man 100% serious. My guess is most smaller subspecialty programs do the same. For us we have such a small program that a couple bad residents can really make life miserable for everyone else when you account for how they get distributed throughout the various rotations/services. If someone gets fired and we can’t replace them then that makes a big difference in call frequency and rotations for everyone else. So we have a lot of incentive to do our due diligence and leverage anything we have to figure out who may be a problem later while also trying to figure out who really fits in a positive way.

 

[NicMouse64]

Yeah man 100% serious. My guess is most smaller subspecialty programs do the same. For us we have such a small program that a couple bad residents can really make life miserable for everyone else when you account for how they get distributed throughout the various rotations/services. If someone gets fired and we can’t replace them then that makes a big difference in call frequency and rotations for everyone else. So we have a lot of incentive to do our due diligence and leverage anything we have to figure out who may be a problem later while also trying to figure out who really fits in a positive way.

So what are big no-nos on social media? I kinda just feel like getting rid of my fb as I rarely use it but I need it for my medical school fb page. Still I probably have a few less than professional things hanging out somewhere.....not easily attainable but somewhere

 

[operaman]

So what are big no-nos on social media? I kinda just feel like getting rid of my fb as I rarely use it but I need it for my medical school fb page. Still I probably have a few less than professional things hanging out somewhere.....not easily attainable but somewhere

Well just imagine you were taking your mom to see a doctor for some scary new diagnosis and you were googling them first. Anything that would make you feel uncomfortable about his or her care would probably be worth removing. Anything with drug use or excessive alcohol use or where you are clearly wasted. Crazy rants or any posts that may be offensive are worth pulling. Just use common sense really.