Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/
0009-0009-0986-4802 (Richard)
0000-0001-7157-5288 (Hansen)
0009-0000-8793-409X (Nguyen, L.)
Abstract
Background: Equitable recruitment practices are essential to the diversification of health science educational applicant pools. This scoping review aimed to understand the existing literature supporting the use and implementation of SM (SM) for recruitment in various health science educational programs. Methods: A comprehensive search utilizing the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) framework was used to collect and analyze existing articles. Keyword selection followed by an iterative process for article inclusion using Covidence application for article analysis and inclusion/exclusion. A thematic analysis method was employed to synthesize findings from the studies that met our inclusion criteria. Results: The initial keyword search yielded 1,065 articles. These were refined to 20 after using the PRISMA-ScR methods aligned with our established inclusion and exclusion criteria. Four main themes emerged from the analysis: 1) Positive impact of SM on recruitment, 2) Appraisal of SM platform types, and 3) Trends in content creation. Twitter (X) and Instagram emerged as the platforms with the highest content output and user engagement. Conclusions: The review indicates a positive relationship between SM use and student recruitment in health science education. SM platforms offer cost-effective options for content creation that can effectively supplement traditional recruitment processes used by DPT and health science programs. However, more research is needed in these specific educational programs.
Recommended Citation
Richard, C., Nguyen, N., Nguyen, L. T., & Hansen, A. (2026). Leveraging Social Media Recruitment in Health Science Education: A Scoping Review. Philippine Journal of Physical Therapy, 5(1). Retrieved from https://soar.usa.edu/phjpt/vol5/iss1/4
Author Biographies
