Background Travel costs and application fees make in-person residency interviews expensive, compounding existing financial burdens on medical students. We hypothesized virtual interviews (VI) would be associated with decreased costs for applicants compared to in-person interviews (IPI) but at the expense of gathering information with which to assess the program. Objective To survey senior medical students and postgraduate year (PGY)-1 residents regarding their financial burden and program perception during virtual versus in-person interviews. Methods The authors conducted a single center, multispecialty study comparing costs of IPI vs VI from 2020-2021. Fourth-year medical students and PGY-1 residents completed one-time surveys regarding interview costs and program perception. The authors compared responses between IPI and VI groups. Potential debt accrual was calculated for 3- and 7-year residencies. Results Two hundred fifty-two (of 884, 29%) surveys were completed comprising 75 of 169 (44%) IPI and 177 of 715 (25%) VI respondents. The VI group had significantly lower interview costs compared to the IPI group (median $1,000 [$469-$2,050 IQR] $784-$1,216 99% CI vs $3,200 [$1,700-$5,500 IQR] $2,404-$3,996 99% CI, P<.001). The VI group scored lower for feeling the interview process was an accurate representation of the residency program (3.3 [0.5] vs 4.1 [0.7], P<.001). Assuming interview costs were completely loan-funded, the IPI group will have accumulated potential total loan amounts $2,334 higher than the VI group at 2% interest and $2,620 at 6% interest. These differences were magnified for a 7-year residency. Conclusions Virtual interviews save applicants thousands of dollars at the expense of their perception of the residency program.

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Most cardiac tumors are benign myxomas, and are most commonly found in the left atrium. Such tumors are identified either during symptomatic workup or found incidentally. We present a case in which a patient with recurrent transient ischemic attacks and syncope was found to have a giant right atrial myxoma with subsequent right atrial outflow obstruction. The mass was initially diagnosed on transthoracic echocardiography and its full scope was detailed utilizing transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). With swift intervention, the mass was successfully removed with the help of TEE guidance and the patient made a full recovery. The importance of TEE both preoperatively and intraoperatively during resection of giant cardiac masses is highlighted.

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