TY - JOUR
T1 - A Medical Student Online Community
T2 - A Qualitative Analysis of Step 1 Subreddit Posts
AU - Kann, Michael R.
AU - Chen, David
AU - Huang, Grace W.
AU - Pugazenthi, Sangami
AU - Zehnder, Nichole G.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) under exclusive licence to International Association of Medical Science Educators 2024.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Introduction: Reddit is a public discussion website parsed into “subreddits” centered around specific topics. Medical students often utilize the Step 1 subreddit to seek peer counsel regarding exam preparation. The aim of this study is to utilize the Step 1 subreddit to (1) qualitatively explore how students utilize this subreddit and (2) to capture the evolving landscape of thoughts and strategies employed since Step 1 score reporting shifted to pass/fail. Methods: The Reddit Application Programming Interface (API) was employed to collect Step 1 subreddit posts between January 26, 2022, and April 10, 2023. The top 500 ranked posts were analyzed using the grounded theory method for comprehensive thematic analysis. Results: Thematic analysis identified five themes: mental and emotional challenges, academically overwhelming, peer student advice, community support and appreciation, and navigating the pass/fail Step 1 landscape. During exam preparation, students commonly expressed emotions of stress, overwhelmed by the volume of content and the demanding preparation timeline. Students leveraged the Step 1 subreddit to gain advice from peers on selecting and effectively utilizing resources, crafting study schedules, and prioritizing content. The subreddit served as a source of support, where posters extended encouragement and empathy for which students expressed gratitude. Likewise, students were engaged in the process of assessing external guidance and adapting their study strategies to thrive in the Step 1 pass/fail environment. Conclusions: The analysis of the Step 1 subreddit revealed themes that provide a better understanding of how medical students leverage this forum and insights of educators may use to optimize student support.
AB - Introduction: Reddit is a public discussion website parsed into “subreddits” centered around specific topics. Medical students often utilize the Step 1 subreddit to seek peer counsel regarding exam preparation. The aim of this study is to utilize the Step 1 subreddit to (1) qualitatively explore how students utilize this subreddit and (2) to capture the evolving landscape of thoughts and strategies employed since Step 1 score reporting shifted to pass/fail. Methods: The Reddit Application Programming Interface (API) was employed to collect Step 1 subreddit posts between January 26, 2022, and April 10, 2023. The top 500 ranked posts were analyzed using the grounded theory method for comprehensive thematic analysis. Results: Thematic analysis identified five themes: mental and emotional challenges, academically overwhelming, peer student advice, community support and appreciation, and navigating the pass/fail Step 1 landscape. During exam preparation, students commonly expressed emotions of stress, overwhelmed by the volume of content and the demanding preparation timeline. Students leveraged the Step 1 subreddit to gain advice from peers on selecting and effectively utilizing resources, crafting study schedules, and prioritizing content. The subreddit served as a source of support, where posters extended encouragement and empathy for which students expressed gratitude. Likewise, students were engaged in the process of assessing external guidance and adapting their study strategies to thrive in the Step 1 pass/fail environment. Conclusions: The analysis of the Step 1 subreddit revealed themes that provide a better understanding of how medical students leverage this forum and insights of educators may use to optimize student support.
KW - Medical student community
KW - Online forums
KW - Reddit
KW - USMLE Step 1
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85209400458&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s40670-024-02214-6
DO - 10.1007/s40670-024-02214-6
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85209400458
SN - 2156-8650
JO - Medical Science Educator
JF - Medical Science Educator
ER -