Assessment of Virtual AAFPRS Fellowship Interviews During the COVID-19 Pandemic. A Pandemic Response or the Wave of the Future? (original) (raw)
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Year two of virtual interviews: longitudinal changes and diverse perspectives
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Surgical Endoscopy
Background The COVID-19 pandemic forced surgical fellowship programs to transition from in-person to remote applicant interviews; the virtual interviewing format presented new and unique challenges. We sought to understand applicants' perceived challenges to virtual interviewing for a surgical fellowship program. Method A grounded theory-based qualitative study was performed utilizing semi-structured interviews with fellowship applicants from the 2020 fellowship match. All Fellowship Council-registered applicants were eligible. We purposefully sampled participants to balance across gender, specialty-choice, and academic versus community-program affiliation. Interviews were inductively analyzed by two researchers for prominent themes. Results Fifteen interviews were conducted. Participants were 60% male (n = 9), with 33% (n = 5) from non-academic institutions. They applied for the following fellowships: Advanced Gastrointestinal/Minimal Invasive (55%), Bariatric (30%), Hepatopancreatobiliary (10%) and Surgical Oncology (5%). Four main themes emerged to describe virtual interview process challenges: (1) perceived data deficiency, (2) superficial personal connections, (3) magnification of non-professionalism, and (4) logistical frustrations. Applicants recommend program directors provide more information about the fellowship prior to interview day and offer informal independent interactions with current and previous fellows. Conclusions According to fellowship applicants, virtual interviews resulted in a lack of information for rank-list decision making ultimately requiring them to rely on other information avenues to base their decisions. These applicants have offered advice to fellowship program directors and future applicants to better optimize this process. Keywords Fellowship • Graduate medical education • Surgical training • Virtual interview Traditionally, onsite interviews functioned as high-stakes events that substantially affected an applicants' final rank ordering of postgraduate surgical training programs [1, 2]. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic forced programs to suspend in-person interviews within the United States [3-6]. Surgical fellowship programs were among the first to transition interviews to a virtual format, by default becoming a testing ground for other surgical training programs. Prior to COVID-19, the feasibility and utility of virtual interviews for postgraduate programs were assessed with varying results. Some studies found an overall applicant preference for on-site versus online interviews [7-10], while faculty surveys demonstrated a desire towards utilizing virtual interviews to potentially screen candidates before in-person interviews [8, 9]. During the transition to virtual interviewing, multiple guides on interview preparation and conduct were published in 2020 for both programs and candidates [3-5, 11, 12]. The majority focused on the technical aspects of virtual
Healthcare
During the COVID-19 pandemic, conducting face-to-face medical residency interviews was challenging due to infection prevention precautions, social distancing, and travel restrictions. Virtual interviews were implemented by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) as an alternative process for residency matching while striving to maintain the same quality standards. This national survey was conducted to assess the satisfaction and perceptions of faculty members’ virtual interview performance in the assessment for the medical training residency programs. Among the participating 173 faculty members, 34.1% did not have previous experience with video-conferencing. The Zoom application was the most commonly used platform (65.9%). Most (89.6%) of the faculty perceived virtual interviews as “adequate” platforms on which the candidates could express themselves, while almost half of the faculty (53.8%) agreed that virtual interviews allowed them to accurately reach an impression ab...
The Ochsner journal, 2022
Background: Videoconferencing platforms are being used for the purposes of interviewing in academic medicine because of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. We present considerations applicable to interviewers and interviewees in the virtual space, with a focus on medical school and residency applicants. Methods: We reviewed the literature regarding the virtual interview process for medical school and residency by searching PubMed using the following keywords and terms: "interview, " "academic medicine, " "medical school application, " "residency application, ""virtual interviews, "and "videoconferencing. "Our search identified 701 results, from which we selected 36 articles for review. Results: The garnered information focuses on strategies for optimizing the virtual interview process from the standpoint of both the interviewer and the interviewee. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the virtual interview process and present recommendations. Conclusion: While the future of the interview process for medical school and residency is uncertain, virtual interviewing is a common and growing practice that will continue to be at least part of the medical interview process for years to come. Interviewers and interviewees should prepare to adapt to the evolving changes in the process.
Virtual interviews for doctoral psychology internships: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 2023
Interviews are central to the application process for health service psychology (HSP) internships, the capstone of doctoral clinical training. Historically conducted primarily in-person, interviews involved considerable financial and time costs to applicants. Restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic caused a shift from inperson interviews to largely untested virtual interviews during the 2021 and 2022 Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) Matches. We drew on multiple sources of data from the APPIC Directory, National Matching Services, and APPIC post-Match surveys of applicants and internship training directors to learn about the magnitude of this shift; the influence of various considerations related to selecting virtual interview formats; and applicants' and sites' perceptions of the costs, benefits, and effectiveness of virtual interviews. Results suggest a seismic shift toward the use of virtual interviews, from ∼20% of programs in 2016-2018 to 89% in 2022. Sites reported limited concern (29%) over loss of information during virtual interviews to assess applicant fit and substantial concern (85%) over equity regarding applicant costs associated with in-person interviewing. Sites found the virtual format effective for ranking applicants (89%). Across 2021 and 2022, applicants reported high satisfaction with the Match (79%, vs. 82% for 2016-2018) and virtual interviews (76%). Consistent with reports from other health service professions, applicants endorsed postpandemic use of virtual interviews, expressed concern over missing out if choosing virtual interviews when programs offer both types and strongly endorsed mandating virtual-only interviews. We discuss implications and recommendations for the adoption of virtual interview formats for HSP internship training. Public Significance Statement Virtual interviewing is associated with significant cost savings and is likely to be used by many programs in the foreseeable future. The benefits of virtual interviewing appear to outweigh the costs for the large majority of training sites and applicants.
Journal of Graduate Medical Education
Background Studies of the virtual interview format are needed to inform medical residency program leaders as they plan for future virtual interview seasons. Objective In the current study, completed in 2021, we sought to assess applicant perspectives of virtual interview effectiveness, advantages, and barriers, including factors that might impact equity and inclusion. Methods Interviewees applying to 7 residency programs and 2 clinical psychology programs at an academic medical center in the Pacific Northwest completed a post-interview survey. Results A total of 565 of 1429 interviewees (40%) completed the survey. A vast majority (83%–96%) agreed virtual interviews were effective in each measured domain, except for learning institutional culture (352 of 565, 62%). Many also found information regarding social/living environments inadequate. Participants selected advantages to virtual interviews more frequently than disadvantages. Commonly selected advantages included cost savings, ti...
Virtual interviews for admission to health care residency programs during the COVID-19 pandemic
Archivos Argentinos de Pediatria
Introduction. The COVID-19 pandemic forced residency programs to adapt their selection processes. Our objective was to describe the experience of virtual interviews conducted to select residents through applicants' perception. Population and methods. An electronic questionnaire was sent to health care residency applicants after their interviews conducted in 2020. Results. Two-hundred and twenty-one questionnaires were collected and the average distance to the facility was 163 km. Also, 67.9% of the applicants used a personal computer, 98.2% felt that they were treated appropriately, 77.8% were able to state their ideas, and 12.2% reported technical difficulties. In addition, 32.6% said that they would prefer virtual interviews for future selection processes and 17.6%, that it would be irrelevant. Conclusions. Virtual interviews allowed the resident selection process to be completed; one third of applicants would prefer virtual interviews in the future and there were no apparent technological limitations.
Virtual Interviewing for Residency/Fellowship during the COVID-19 Pandemic
2021
Virtual interviewing for graduate medical education (GME) had been experimented with on a small scale in the late 2000s and early 2010s, but it became a necessity for the 2020–2021 match season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We will briefly discuss the history of virtual interviewing and the published literature on virtual interviewing in GME. Based on the literature and recommendations from various organizations, we address preparation for virtual interviews including special considerations for programs and fellowships. We discuss the pros and cons of virtual interviewing both in order to better understand the current situation and to make informed choices moving forward regarding continuation of virtual interviewing versus returning to in-person interviewing.
Effectiveness of Virtual Residency Interviews: Interviewer Perspectives
Family Medicine
Background and Objectives: Virtual residency interviews were widely utilized during the COVID-19 pandemic. Little is known about the effectiveness, advantages, barriers, and acceptability of virtual interviews, casting uncertainty about how interviews should be conducted after the pandemic. We conducted a survey of interviewers to inform future decisions. Methods: We developed and implemented an online postinterview survey of interviewers representing seven residency programs and two clinical psychology programs at one midsized academic medical center. We analyzed results using descriptive statistics. Results: Of 312 interviewers, 136 completed the survey (44% response rate). A majority rated virtual interviews as very or extremely effective in creating a comfortable setting (79%), answering interviewee questions (86%), establishing a sense of connection (59%), evaluating interviewee strengths (64%), and communicating program culture (51%). About half felt virtual interviews were no...
Family Medicine
Background and Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic obliged the field of graduate medical education to pivot from in-person to virtual residency interviews in 2020. The decreased travel and financial barriers of this format could potentially lead to greater diversity and equity in the primary care workforce. We aimed to evaluate changes in applicant pools from in-person to virtual interviewing cycles. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of Electronic Residency Application Services (ERAS) from five US family medicine residencies across five interview cycles (three in-person and two virtual; 2017/2018 through 2021/2022). We compared geographic and demographic data about applicants as well as administrative program data. Results: The study included 25,271 applicants. The average distance between applicants and programs was 768 miles during in-person interview years and 772 miles during virtual interview years (P=.27). Applicants who interviewed with programs were 446 and 459 mile...