The Doctor Will Promote You Now

We are all familiar with social media influencers. We follow them, know them, and brands love them. It’s easy to decipher their promoted posts. They usually highlight a product or brand, complete with the hashtag, #ad, letting us know for sure that this is something they were asked to do. A new set of Instagram influencers are gaining traction and to see them highlighting products is rather surprising.

I’m talking about the med student social influencer. Seriously, go check it out.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand that med school is expensive, and if you can earn extra money, by all means do your thing.

However, it seems that this could border on unethical territory. What happens when a soon-to-be medical professional is promoting products simply because they are getting paid to do it? I’m not entirely naïve, I understand that doctors today largely prescribe medicine based on relationships with drug companies so perhaps this is just an introductory step on the way to what their lives will be like once they are M.D.’s.

But if it starts as early as med school what does that mean for them as they grow in their careers. Perhaps this is just the future we have set for ourselves with the influx of social media and power that comes with being an influencer with a large following.

I can’t help but think of a famous NYC doctor whose face adorned subway cars for years. Maybe Dr. Zizmor had it right all this time. Building yourself as a brand is just as important as the reputation you create as a doctor.

Athletes get paid for sponsorships. One could argue that this fits into that same category. It will be interesting to see how this transforms in the next few years. For now it’s safe to say, the doctor will promote you now.