Evaluating the Impact of a Pilot Nationwide Webinar Series on National Med-Peds Residents' Association Membership

Background: As the COVID-19 pandemic significantly reduced the ability of medical students to travel and interact directly with combined Internal Medicine-Pediatrics (Med-Peds) residency programs, medical students desiring appropriate guidance and information about Med-Peds residency training needed a national forum for information during an unprecedented virtual recruitment year. Objective: To develop a nationally coordinated webinar series for medical students and student advisors to learn about the Med-Peds specialty for residency training to keep applicant numbers and applicant interest from significantly falling. Methods: A national webinar series focusing on general Med-Peds information, career interests, and tailored advising was created amongst the three national Med-Peds organizations over a three-month period in Spring 2020. Results: There was a 221% increase in medical student membership to the National Med-Peds Residents' Association (NMPRA) compared to the same months in 2017, 2018, and 2019 and no significant reduction in the Electronic Residency Application Service(®) applications to Med-Peds programs over that same time period. Conclusions: A national forum for medical students inquiring about the combined Med-Peds specialty can be effective in recruiting members to NMPRA and keeping interest high in Med-Peds.