Social networks for doctors and other medical professionals do exist because everyone enjoys hanging around people with the same interest, right?
Social media has become ingrained in our daily lives. Millions of individuals browse social networks like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and others on a daily basis (Tik Tok anyone?).
While mainstream social networks can be valuable for private practitioners as a marketing tool, they may not be appropriate for a physician’s work and life. However, there are some social networks specifically developed for doctors.
Social Networks Dedicated to Physicians
Doctor life is hectic, especially given that the health-care business is experiencing physician shortages. There isn’t always time to comb through people to identify connections, but smaller, more concentrated networks make it easier to stay connected with coworkers and classmates.
Social media platforms such as those listed below help you stay current on the latest medical news, serve as reliable resources for new research and peer-reviewed articles, and improve your education by providing access to webinars and CME hours. There is also the considerable benefit of real-time information sharing via clinical image sharing to assist you in staying current.
Top 10 social networks for doctors
Despite the fact that many doctor-focused social networks have come and gone, these eight have weathered the test of time—and may be worth your attention.
| Social Network | What is it? |
|---|---|
| Sermo | Sermo is a “virtual doctors’ lounge” where licensed physicians can anonymously talk about their experiences, ask for advice, and discuss difficult cases. |
| Doximity | Doximity is the largest professional network for U.S. healthcare professionals, facilitating secure communication and providing personalized news, medical literature, and career opportunities. |
| DailyRounds | DailyRounds is a network that focuses on case-based problem solving to help doctors across the world discuss and learn from clinical cases. |
| QuantiaMD | QuantiaMD is a learning platform where doctors can learn from experts and each other via short interactive presentations. |
| Figure 1 | Figure 1 is an app that allows healthcare professionals to share medical images and discuss them in a HIPAA-compliant setting. |
| Medscape Consult | DailyRounds is a network that focuses on case-based problem-solving to help doctors across the world discuss and learn from clinical cases. |
| DoctorsHangout | DoctorsHangout is a professional networking site for doctors, medical students, and nurses. |
| OrthoMind | OrthoMind is a global, professional network of orthopedic surgeons, offering resources, discussions, and case studies. |
| NurseTogether | NurseTogether offers a community for nurses worldwide to share experiences, get advice, access educational resources, and discuss various aspects of their profession. |
| Student Doctor Network | The Student Doctor Network is an educational community for students and doctors spanning across all health professions. |
These platforms are incredibly beneficial in fostering a collaborative environment for healthcare professionals, ultimately aiding in the advancement of healthcare services and patient care.
Sermo
Consider Sermo to be the “Facebook” of doctor social networks. The reason is that it is by far the largest, with 1.3 million healthcare workers spread throughout 150 nations. Sermo’s goal is to create a medical crowdsourcing platform where “verified and credentialed” physicians can exchange research, anonymously ask and answer patient care-related questions, and engage in a “virtual doctors lounge.”
Doximity
Doximity is America’s largest healthcare professional community, with over 80% of US doctors and 50% of all NPs and PAs as verified members. According to the website, it has a higher membership than the AMA.
Doctors can contact with patients by secure HIPAA-compliant phone, text, and fax through the website. Patients can also call or fax doctors from their personal smartphones, and the doctor’s office number appears on their caller ID. Doximity also has a clinician directory, job postings, a residency navigator, and an annual wage survey.
DailyRounds
DailyRounds, based in India, is a network of over a million worldwide physicians from more than 16 nations. It is a collaborative knowledge-sharing network that is regularly updated with practice-relevant scientific articles, ECGs, treatment recommendations, and CME courses.
DailyRounds is described as “a service for doctors that combines elements of a social network and a medical journal.” Physicians can speak with one another, exchange medical expertise, upload case files, and search a “exhaustive” pharmaceutical database.
Figure1
This website allows healthcare professionals all over the world to anonymously submit photos of ailments, such as x-rays, and compare them to other images on the site.
The device is especially useful for doctors who work in rural places and may be treating a patient with a rare disease. It has grown to be one of the largest digital networks for medical professionals and a life-saving tool, with millions of healthcare practitioners on board.
Network of Student Doctors
The Student Doctor Network (SDN) targets medical students in underprivileged areas. Its purpose is to improve their prospects of admission to medical schools. It includes study regimens, instructions, and resources organized by interest specializations for more personalised knowledge.
According to the website, SDN was founded in “1999 as a grassroots donor-supported service providing free advising resources, tools, and peer-support forums to those who would not have access to such services otherwise.”
Among Physicians
Among Doctors has a lower membership than Sermo and Doximity. Verified physicians can form private groups in which they can interact, share ideas, and learn from one another.
The Routines
The Rounds is a safe collaborative network where doctors of different disciplines may learn, share, and discuss their needs. The site is only for licensed physicians and medical students from Canada or the United States.
(While we’re on “rounds,” check out Rounds Network, a collection of social networks for radiologists and dermatologists. It also offers a social network for professional advancement called careerRounds.)
LinkedIn Discussion Groups
Thanks to Groups, several of which are healthcare-related, LinkedIn is the most relevant social network for medical professionals. Physicians Practice, Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), and Hospitalists’ Network are a few examples.
Conclusion
The online world has changed every aspect of our lives, including how medical professionals communicate, collaborate and educate themselves in their field. These top 10 social networks for physicians and medical professionals offer more than just networking opportunities; they provide platforms for collaboration, knowledge sharing, mutual support and ongoing education.
They represent a fusion of technology and healthcare, bringing together the best of both worlds to ultimately improve patient care. Whether you are a seasoned physician, a medical student, or a healthcare professional, these networks offer a wealth of resources and a global community of like-minded individuals. So explore these platforms and see how they can enrich your career path. Because as we have seen, the physician is definitely “in” when it comes to health and technology”
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