Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellowship Interviews: Structure and Organization of the Interview Day

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Purpose To identify the factors considered most important by sports medicine fellowship applicants when deciding where to apply and ultimately interview. Methods An anonymous, electronic survey was distributed in 2018 via e-mail to orthopaedic surgery residents who applied to a specific orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship program in 2015 and 2016. The survey included questions regarding the number of fellowships applications per respondent and the number of interviews they were offered and accepted. Questions regarding the application process were included. Participants also were asked to rank 9 criteria from most to least important (1 being most important; 9 being least important) when deciding where to apply or accept interviews. Each criterion’s score reflects its average ranking among respondents. Results Among the 99 orthopaedic surgery residents applying to this fellowship program, 42 (42.4%) completed the survey. The factors considered most influential included variety and complexity of surgical exposure (2.16), autonomy (3.72), and reputation of faculty members (4.05). The factors considered least important were program size (7.21), job placement of past fellows (7.07), and geographic location (5.68). Conclusions Variety and complexity of surgical exposure, operative autonomy, and program reputation were valued as the most important factors for orthopaedic surgery residents applying to sports medicine fellowship programs. Clinical Relevance The information obtained in this study may provide sports medicine fellowship programs and orthopaedic residents with a better understanding of factors that are considered to be important by sports medicine fellowship applicants. This will improve training for future sports medicine specialists, thus improving the care that they provide to their patients.

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confidence: 99%

Variety and Complexity of Surgical Exposure, Operative Autonomy, and Program Reputation Are Important Factors for Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellowship Applicants

Oser

Grimsley

Swinford

et al. 2021

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“…Yayac et al 5 found that most fellowship program websites are difficult to access and provide insufficient information for applicants on the selection process. A previous study by Haislup et al 6 similarly noted that little information could be found on program websites regarding interview day structure, program expectations of fellows, and the selection committee's desired applicant qualities. The SF Match website only provides generalized guidelines regarding standards of professionalism during the interview cycle.…”

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confidence: 99%

Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellowship Websites: Information Considered Most Important to Fellowship Applicants

McEvoy

Brown

Miskimin

et al. 2021

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The purpose of this study was to determine which components of sports medicine fellowships are most important to applicants when reviewing fellowship websites during the application process. Methods: An anonymous survey was distributed to 492 fellowship applicants from the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 cycles. The survey included questions about the importance of including components of fellow education, recruitment, and experience on program websites. The weighted average of responses determined each component's rank, with 5 being "very important" and 1 being "not at all important." Responses were analyzed by application cycle, current position, and sex using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Results: Sixty-five applicants participated in the survey and completed the demographics section, resulting in a 13.2% response rate. According to participants, the most important components to include on fellowship websites were exposure to advanced operative sports medicine techniques (weighted average, 4.62), complexity of cases performed (4.52), and number of cases performed (4.50). Analysis demonstrated statistically significant differences in opinion between application cycles for flexibility for conducting a remote interview (P ¼ .0074), jobs obtained by previous fellows (P ¼ .019), national rank of department (P ¼ .021), program's geographic location (P ¼ .026), protected academic time (P ¼ .038), current positions for criteria for fellows' performance evaluations (P ¼ .028), program's geographic location (P ¼ .0097), and protected academic time (P ¼ .0079). There were statistically significant differences in opinion between current positions regarding flexibility for conducting a remote interview (P ¼ .0026), jobs obtained by previous fellows (P ¼ .012), and national rank of department (P ¼ .0013). Conclusions: Orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship applicants believe that it is most important to include information about the volume and complexity of fellows' cases and their day-to-day commitments on program websites. Clinical Relevance: This information would enable applicants to identify programs that will support professional development and allow program directors to communicate expectations.

“…[13][14][15] Given the highly competitive nature of applying for orthopaedic sports medicine fellowships, it is imperative for applicants to have a sound understanding of the traditional interview structure and the most critical selection criteria for matching to an orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship program. In a 2017 study, Haislup et al 16 surveyed 38 fellowship PDs and provided useful information regarding the organization of orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship interviews prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Within the pool of PDs surveyed, 42.1% stated that they interviewed 21 to 30 applicants per year and 28.9% have only 1 fellow per year at their respective program.…”

Section: Traditional Sports Medicine Fellowship Interview Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellowship Application Process

Peebles¹,

Kraeutler²,

Waterman³

et al. 2021

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Over the last year, coronavirus disease 2019 has spread across the world as a global pandemic, bringing unprecedented changes to the healthcare landscape for patients and physicians. Medical trainees have been similarly affected, as medical schools throughout the United States have implemented remote learning-based curriculums and withdrawn third-and fourth-year students from in-hospital clerkships. Of particular importance is the impact of COVID-19 on current orthopaedic surgery residents applying to subspecialty fellowship programs. Because of the highly transmissible nature of the virus and current social distancing restrictions, orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship interviews are being held virtually during the 2020e2021 application cycle. This transition to videoconference interviewing may de-emphasize an applicant's unique personality or interpersonal interactions that are traditionally captured in a variety of settings during the interview day. In turn, this may lead to increased prioritization of various aspects of the application, such as the applicant's residency program, letters of recommendation, and research productivity. Matching to a sports medicine fellowship program is an inherently competitive process and the COVID-19 pandemic presents novel challenges to orthopaedic residents in their efforts to successfully match. The purpose of this review is to describe the changes made to the orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship interview process resulting from COVID-19 during the 2020-2021 application cycle and discuss how these changes may impact the future fellowship application process. This review discusses the changes made to the orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship interview process caused by COVID-19 during the 2020e2021 application cycle. This review also assesses how such changes may impact the future application process and proposes potential adaptations to the current virtual interview format if it should become the new standard moving forward.S ince being declared a global pandemic on March 11, 2020, by the World Health Organization, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has resulted in over 2 million deaths and more than 102 million cases worldwide. 1