I still remember the sting, years ago, when my high school freshman daughter declared at the dinner table that Facebook (FB) is “for old people”! Her peers and her generation seem to have mastered many social media platforms, like Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. The profile photo on my FB is that of our family when Claire was about two, which means my FB account was likely created 16-18 years ago. My posts are few and far between, usually marking birthdays, vacations, and major milestones such as Claire’s high school graduation. Yet, I savor my evening
habit of 10-15 minutes of scrolling to see photos and posts from friends, families, colleagues, and neighborhood pages as we share safety or other happenings in our community and HOA.
As parents and physicians, we recognize the risks, perils, and addictive nature of social media, and we are especially aware of research findings on the negative impact on our children. However, this article is inspired by realizing how I have experienced FB so differently over recent years by joining various physician-specific groups that leverage collective wisdom and knowledge to create increased well-being for all members for personal and professional needs.
Female physicians are especially active among an increasing number of groups that share common interests and goals. Membership and active participation through comments and sharing of resources allow real-time, immediate, and unlimited connections among physicians regardless of geography, state, time zone, individual demographics, career stage, practice setting, marital status, type of medicine practiced, or experiences.
The use of FB by physicians provides psychological safety and well-being in a novel way that far exceeds what may or may not exist or be offered by our employers as a human resources or Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education function. Physicians can join a variety of professional networks that support their members by providing space for anyone to post a question or dilemma followed by a few (or even hundreds) of responses, even if the comment is simply “BUMP” (the acronym for “bring up my post,” which pushes a post to the top of the group’s feed where more people can see it). By enhancing connectivity to support ourselves and our loved ones, and offering enhanced care for our patients, we can prolong our own career and life longevity.
The proverb “It takes a village to raise a child,” attributed to several African cultures, states that an entire community of people must provide for and interact positively with children for those children to experience and grow in a safe and healthy environment.
There are even phrases to describe this idea:
- Lunyoro (Bunyoro)—”Omwana takulila nju emoi” translates to “A child does not grow up only in a single home.”
- Kihaya (Bahaya)—”Omwana taba womoi” translates to “A child belongs not to one parent or home.”
- Kijita (Wajita)—”Omwana ni wa bhone” translates to “Regardless of a child’s biological parents, its upbringing belongs to the community.”
- Swahili—”Asiye funzwa na mamae hufunzwa na ulimwengu” translates to “Whomsoever is not taught by the mother will be taught with the world.”
This notion of care being a community endeavor resonates with current-day culture and the emphasis on patient-centered, team-based healthcare, which is based on the core shared values and principles outlined by the Institute of Medicine. Expertise shared among diverse perspectives of team members, as well as the patient’s engagement, have been shown to improve outcomes in healthcare.
As a pediatric otolaryngologist, this concept is the foundation for my daily work. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and ever-increasing rates of burnout, early attrition, and workforce reduction, I have observed an even greater explosion of FB groups as fundamentally virtual “villages” that provide support like no other.
These examples of FB physician-specific groups and their mission demonstrate the profound and vast ways physicians empower themselves to share medical advice for patients and loved ones, mentorship, advocacy, resources, employment opportunities, and even matchmaking for self, family members, or friends. While I joined the Physician Mom Group (PMG) more than a decade ago, since the pandemic, I now belong to several other physician groups:
- Orlando Women Physician Group—From 2013-2022, I practiced in Orlando, and even though I now practice in Akron, I am still a member and try to contribute when able.
- Physician Moms–ENT
- Physician Side Gigs
- Female Physician Entrepreneurs
- Physician Nonclinical Career Hunters
These FB groups are private, and interested physicians have to request to join (or be invited by a current group member); requests are approved by the group admin. As with posts on your normal FB page, posts in the groups often include a photo (referred to as “tax” in online lingo) to garner attention. Medical photos of patients are posted with permission, and each FB group has an admin who approves the posts. To read every post would be overwhelming and a time drain, so generally I read posts on topics that impact patient care, or legislative and policy changes, and when I perceive an opportunity to contribute personally and professionally, I do. Comments in these groups are almost always positive, supportive, and even humorous.
Due to my surgical ergonomic injuries, chronic pain, and the realization that I needed a change of employment, I resigned from my job in Orlando in 2022. It took 18 months before I was lucky enough to recover and reenter clinical practice. Throughout that time, I faced uncertainty about my recovery, my ability to practice clinically again, and my job prospects, so I joined the Non-Clinical Careers for Physicians group to learn alternative ways to make a living. The members support others who have left clinical practice, whether because of burnout or any other reason, share employment opportunities, advise how and what to negotiate, and made me realize I wasn’t alone. I didn’t know any other surgeon or physician who shared my reality.
Regardless of our personal opinions and choices, habits, awareness, and extent of social media engagement such as FB, I hope readers will gain awareness of the immense benefits of such physician groups. Physicians continue to come together to empower themselves and to offer support for one another, patients, colleagues, trainees, and loved ones. Whatever your opinions and preferences are, the younger generation of physicians and trainees are already highly engaged and leveraging the power of social media as never before. For those of us who participate in teaching and training, awareness of how to use social media for the good can encourage positive use of FB for trainees, and all of us can access an immense wealth of knowledge and decades of experiences that can’t be found anywhere else. Not even on ChatGPT or AI.
As global events continue to reflect unrest, terrorism, violence, division, man-made and natural disasters, and a vast spectrum of human suffering, both physical and emotional, I hope you will explore and even join a “village” or two of your choosing. There, amidst our fellow physicians, we can find fellowship, shared experiences, validation for our suffering, support, laughter, and psychological safety.
Finding the Right Group for You
Physician-specific FB groups are diverse. Here are a few examples that may help you find your own “village.”
Physician Mom Group (PMG)—This global online community, founded in 2014 by Hala Sabry, DO, MBA, started as a group of female physicians who were all mothers. They shared their experiences, challenges, and advice as a peer-support-focused connection. PMG boasts 120,000 members across 100 countries and has evolved to include annual conferences, retreats, and social media campaigns related to education, advocacy, and clinical research. What started as peer support for working women physicians is now a forum with countless daily posts for both professional and personal needs. Clinical topics include those trying to connect with physicians/surgeons who can treat acute emergencies where loved ones are located, asking for specific expertise in a subspecialty for help with diagnosis, workup, evaluation, and treatment options for a variety of clinical issues, or looking for a renowned physician who treats specific conditions or at a specific institution. Posts also include things like announcements for open positions, career development advice, calls to action by a pediatrician to fellow pediatricians to help register 17½ and 18-year-old patients to vote, opportunities to contribute to crowdfunding efforts via GoFundMe for the families of PMG members, discussions about changing your name after marriage, and which is the best professional headshot.
There are also posts of a more personal nature such as requests for fashion advice, closet organization, matchmaking, parenting advice, book, travel, and personal care recommendations, and more.
Physician Side Gigs (Physiciansidegigs.com)—was founded in 2016 by Nisha Mehta, MD, a radiologist, physician advocate, and international keynote speaker who writes and speaks about life in medicine. I met Dr. Mehta in 2023 at Becker’s Hospital Review Annual Meeting Speakers dinner in Chicago. She is humble and quiet, yet fiercely influential in inspiring cultural change in medicine by creating physician communities using FB. Today this community boasts more than 185,000 physician members, and its mission is to empower physicians and combat burnout, arming physicians with business and finance skills and side income streams. I learned that Dr. Mehta is often approached by businesses that target physicians as potential clientele. There are daily discussions and a vast variety of educational content, discounts on products specifically for physicians, and an immense and diverse number of resources for physicians.
Post topics include everything from advice about personal finances and career development, to real estate education, side gigs, and insurance. The group also offers lots of resources for insurance agents, financial planners, attorneys, and others.
Physician Community—This group has about 78,000 members, and the focus is on all things related to life in medicine. It’s open to all verified physicians, regardless of age and gender.
Physician Style Club—This is a smaller group with 6,800 members, geared toward attending physicians who love purses, shoes, jewelry, designer clothes, and accessories.
Lifestyle Medicine For Physicians—This group of 4,300 is for those passionate about the power of improving health using lifestyle principles in their personal and professional lives.
Mama Docs Travel—As the name implies, this is a group of 39,000 physician moms who share travel recommendations, advice, and questions.
Physician Women in Leadership—This group (10,000) is for female physicians and residents who are or aspire to be in leadership roles.
Women Physician Infertility IVU/IUI/Egg Freezing/Embryo Donation/Surrogacy—This group of 2,500 members comprises women physicians and medical students who have undergone any aspect of infertility or fertility preservation.
Physician Dad Support Group—1,400 members, focused on supporting physician dads as they try to balance family, career, and other interests.
Physician Dad Bods Group (PDBG)—1,700 members, focused on helping each other fight the good fight and fend off the dad bod, discussing regimens, diets, supplements, and more.
Physician Dads’ Group Peloton—1,000 members motivating each other to ride on.
Physician Dads’ Wine Club (PDWC)—678 members talking about wine.
Musician Physician Dads’ Group—175 members talking about playing/creating music.
Dads Married to Physicians Group—(338 members) I would ask my husband to join as I am curious what the dads say about physician spouses like me, but Dave doesn’t have a FB account and doesn’t post on social media. He does, however, engage in Reddit, and enjoys it when I share FB posts with photos and updates from our families and friends.
The beauty of these online communities is that if you can’t find one that meets your needs, you can easily create your own.
Dr. Wei is the Alfred J. Magoline Endowed Chair in Otolaryngology–Head Neck Surgery, division director of pediatric otolaryngology at Akron Children’s Hospital, and professor of otolaryngology at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and Northeast Ohio College of Medicine in Ohio.