TikTok Docs

TikToc Docs

Meet the Australian doctors and medical students that are taking over this social media platform.

You may be familiar with the very popular app TikTok – now one of the world’s most used tools for entertainment and advertising. With the world slowly becoming highly dependent on technology and social media, many doctors and medical students have developed a way to use the app for informative learning. Not only are they showcasing their medical expertise – they’re doing it in an entertaining and trendy way.

AMA (NSW) spoke with three Australian TikTok docs and asked the secret behind their growing popularity.

Dr Ray Boyapati – @dr.rayb
147K followers

Dr Ray Boyapati is a Melbourne-based gastroenterologist and the founder of MedEntry, a UCAT preparation provider. In looking at how to communicate with aspiring medical students, Dr Boyapati discovered that his target market wasn’t on Facebook and Instagram – they were mainly on TikTok.

Dr Boyapati’s content for his videos aims to demystify the process of getting into medicine and to provide more information for students whilst also showcasing his own experiences as a doctor.

“It just took off – I guess there was an appetite out there for this knowledge and I didn’t realise how strong that was until I started,” Dr Boyapati said.

The feedback from students encouraged Dr Boyapati to continue posting videos. By increasing activity on the platform, he has gained a large following.

“The main thing I learnt on TikTok was that you had to either be educational, entertaining or both. I felt like I was putting out good educational content and then when you go into trends you can start to be a little entertaining – I certainly tried to provide a little humor and so that combination has really helped draw people in.”

Dr Boyapati admits he never used social media until four years ago. However, he now sees how important it is in creating a connection with students and marketing MedEntry. 

“We’ve received such high traffic since using TikTok and I think that’s one of the reasons I keep posting – it’s great that my videos hold some value to people out there.”

Fahad Khan – @fahad_teaches
116.6K followers

Fahad Khan is a third-year medical student at Western Sydney University who uses TikTok to motivate and encourage others looking to get into medicine. He was introduced to the platform by his older brother, who also has a large following. Camera-shy, Fahad said he was initially wary of creating TikTok videos but realised its potential to reach more people.

“I was already very active in an online forum called Med Students Online, so my brother just told me to go for it and help people finally put a face to the name,” Fahad said, adding that it allows him to assist others in a way that you can’t really do via text.

Coming from a background of socio-economic disadvantage, Fahad aims to be a “big brother” – providing resources to others in similar situations break the cycle of poverty. 

As Fahad progressed through his medical journey, his content altered to meet his followers needs, which he believes could be the secret to gaining a large number of followers. 

“When I first started posting I had year 12 followers, but then the next year they moved to University, so then I started posting University content.” 

Fahad developed a close relationship with his followers by replying to comments and getting to know their own stories. 

“It’s a really nice feeling when one of your followers tells you they got into medical school with the help of your TikToks – it’s great motivation to continue what I’m doing,” Fahad said.

Dr Sarah Rav – @sarahrav
1.3 million followers + verified

Dr Sarah Rav is a Melbourne-based intern who graduated from Monash University last year. Dr Rav was a health, fitness, and lifestyle content creator for Instagram for nine years before moving to TikTok in late 2019 after realising she could achieve greater growth on the new platform.

“Initially I started posting about fitness and nutrition tips – because that was what I was posting on Instagram, and it’s a really big passion of mine. As time went on there was a lot of interest from my followers when they realised I was a medical student, so I just started peppering that into my content and the response was massive,” Dr Rav said.

Since she started her medical career, Dr Rav has found a new creative flare for content such as “a day in the life of a doctor”, “med school tips” and “productivity tips.” 

As a result of her already substantial following on Instagram, Dr Rav said it was for her easy to get verified on TikTok. This has opened up a lot of opportunities for her such as working alongside big-named brands and meeting new people. 

According to Dr Rav, the hardest aspect of creating content on TikTok is spending time on the app and finding new trends and sounds to use in her videos. Although her priority is being an intern, Dr Rav continues to make the effort for her followers because the feedback is always positive. 

“The hours I put into TikTok are all worth it in the end – when your followers see you in the street and say, ‘because of you I got into this course’ – it’s so rewarding to be there and helping people achieve their goals,” she said.