New virtual CaRMS: perspectives from residency programs

Nguyen, Anne Xuan-Lan; Clark, Ian; Damji, Karim F.; Hamel, Patrick; Bélair, Marie-Lyne; Goodyear, Émilie; Hardy, Isabelle

doi:10.1016/j.jcjo.2020.12.007

Cited by 12 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…One study focusing on Canadian ophthalmology programs surveyed selection committee members and program directors and outlined their views on the essential aspects of CaRMS applications, while also describing the perceived effect of the pandemic on the CaRMS process. 10 However, this study did not include resident or medical student perspectives and did not evaluate the effectiveness of changes to the process. This study did find that stakeholders viewed cancellation of visiting electives as likely to have the most significant negative impact of the CaRMS cycle.…”

Section: Interview Period Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resident Match During the COVID Pandemic: How Have Neurology Programs Adapted? – A Survey

Niznick

Lun

Gotfrit

et al. 2022

Can. J. Neurol. Sci.

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Background: We aimed to evaluate the perceived effectiveness of interventions implemented by Canadian neurology residency programs for the 2020–2021 iteration of the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS). Methods: A cross-sectional survey was distributed to Canadian neurology residency programs and final-year Canadian medical students who applied to at least one neurology program during the 2020–2021 match cycle. The surveys evaluated pre-interview and interview period interventions implemented by Canadian neurology residency programs and accessed by medical students. Results: Thirty-five medical students and 13 out of 15 institutions in Canada with neurology residency programs responded to the survey. Multiple adaptations were implemented, including social media advertisement, web-based platforms, pre-interview information sessions, and teaching sessions, with all surveyed programs implementing at least two virtual interventions. We found that all interventions were perceived as adequate by a majority (>60%) of medical students, with pre-interview period virtual information sessions perceived as effective by the largest proportion of respondents. All Canadian neurology residency programs held virtual interviews for the 2020–2021 cycle, and most programs utilized the same interview structure as prior years. There was discordance between residency program stakeholders and medical students on the most helpful interview period modality. Medical students found the hospital tours and information sessions most valuable, whereas program stakeholders perceived the virtual socials and interviews as most helpful. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to innovative adaptations implemented by Canadian neurology residency programs, which were seen as effective by both medical students and program stakeholders.

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Section: Interview Period Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resident Match During the COVID Pandemic: How Have Neurology Programs Adapted? – A Survey

Niznick

Lun

Gotfrit

et al. 2022

Can. J. Neurol. Sci.

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“…These challenges have led both programs and students alike to find creative solutions to be able to mimic the traditional CaRMS experience as closely as possible given the virtual format [23]. One of the new ways to build relationships and allow students to meet the residents and the faculty has been the introduction of Zoom open houses, Zoom resident-only mixers, and more regular updates to program websites [23,24]. As 31.7% of the survey respondents stated that there will be changes to the CaRMS process, it poses the question of how might these changes be made?…”

Section: Electives and The Residency Matchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery clinical electives in undergraduate medicine: A cross-sectional observational study

Jaszkul

Grzybowski

Phillips

2022

Journal of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery

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Background Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (OHNS) electives provide medical students opportunities for knowledge acquisition, mentorship, and career exploration. Given the importance of electives on medical student education, this study examines OHNS clinical electives prior to their cancellation in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods An anonymous 29-question electronic survey was created using the program “Qualtrics.” Themes included elective structure and organization, elective clinical and non-clinical teaching, evaluation of students, and the influence of electives on the Canadian Residency Match (CaRMS). The survey was distributed through the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology e-newsletter and e-mailed to all OHNS undergraduate and postgraduate program directors across Canada. Results Forty-two responses were received. The vast majority of respondents felt that visiting electives were important and should return post-COVID-19 (97.6%). Most said they provide more in-depth or hands-on teaching (52.4% and 59.6%, respectively). However, there was great variability in the feedback, types of teaching and curriculum provided to elective students. It was estimated that 77% of current residents at the postgraduate program that responders were affiliated with participated in an elective at their program. Conclusions Prior to the cancellation of visiting electives in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, electives played an important role in OHNS undergraduate medical education and career planning for students wishing to pursue a career in OHNS. Electives also provide the opportunity for the evaluation of students by OHNS postgraduate programs.

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“…In Canada, letters of reference from clinical preceptors practicing in the field of interest of the applicant are consistently the most important application documents evaluated by selection committees when ranking potential residents. [1][2][3] A letter of reference is a detailed letter that describes a referee's experiences with the applicant and recommending them for further training in their specialty of choice. While general guidelines for letters of reference can be found on the CaRMS website, traditional residency letters of reference are narrative, non-standardized, and do not follow a prescribed template.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Should Canadian urology adopt structured reference letters for residency matching?

Nguyen

Chan²,

Andonian³

et al. 2022

CUAJ

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ConclusionsIt is increasingly relevant to innovate the CaRMS match considering the ever-increasing pressure on residency programs to rank potential residents with fixed resources, visiting electives, and switch to virtual interviews in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and possibly moving forward as well. While there are many advantages to a urology-specific SRL for the Canadian match, there are potential pitfalls and limitations. If the SRL is adopted, its development and adoption should engage all relevant stakeholders, including trainees, and proceed in a stepwise fashion. CUAJ -Residents' RoomNguyen et al Structured reference letters for residency matching 5

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New virtual CaRMS: perspectives from residency programs

Cited by 12 publications

References 5 publications

Resident Match During the COVID Pandemic: How Have Neurology Programs Adapted? – A Survey

Resident Match During the COVID Pandemic: How Have Neurology Programs Adapted? – A Survey

Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery clinical electives in undergraduate medicine: A cross-sectional observational study

Should Canadian urology adopt structured reference letters for residency matching?

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