Social Media/Networking and Psychiatric Education: Competencies, Teaching Methods, and Implications

Patient-centered care features quality and timely care in a variety of settings. Technology facilitates care and its use is common in the Digital Native (Z), Millenial (Y), and X Generations, particularly for adolescents and young adults. Social media/networking options like TwitterR and FacebookR are popular, as are text, e-mail, and mobile health apps. This paper proposes social media competencies and teaching methods based on the fields of healthcare, service delivery, education/androgogy, and evaluation. A brief review of the literature based on PubMed/Medline, Cochrane, Embase, and PsycINFO was performed using primary terms of social media, networking, technology, competency(ies), and other terminology. The social media/networking competencies are framed in contemporary competency-based frameworks. Teaching methods are aligned with competency outcomes, learning context, and program evaluation options. Case examples demonstrate ways to train residents/fellows/other mental health trainees in curricular settings. Novice/advanced beginner and competent/proficient competencies for social media/networking fit within a larger e-behavioral health curriculum, along with telepsychiatric competencies. Teaching methods for social media/networking competencies require additional planning, use of cases, and other in-time clinical activities for learners and teachers. Institutions must plan for clinical and educational elements, in order to support training, shift attitudes, and promote faculty and staff development. These competencies, their implementation, and impact need more research and institutions need an integrated approach to social media/networking, telepsychiatric, and other technology developments for this new era of care.