The Residency Interview Season

Abstract

Residency applicants and residency programs invest significant resources in attempting to match applicants into the best possible programs. However, recent trends have made the process increasingly inefficient. Decisions made by all parties—students, medical schools, and residency programs—have contributed to a system that has become increasingly anxiety-provoking for the students and unnecessarily cumbersome for the programs. Relatively straightforward solutions exist, however, that would improve the process for all parties involved. With improved mentoring of medical students, honest and timely assessment of applicants by programs, and, most importantly, standardizing the interview invitation timeline, candidates and programs would encounter an improved residency interview experience.

Perceptions of the Universal Interview Offer Day in the Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Interview Process

“…This includes position statements and best practice recommendations from AOA/CORD meant to decrease stress for applicants and improve transparency in the process. [11][12][13][14][15][16] One modifiable aspect of the process is how residency interviews are extended. 14,17 It has been commonplace for programs to extend more interview offers than slots available, so students need to reply as quickly as possible to try to secure an interview position.…”

“…[11][12][13][14][15][16] One modifiable aspect of the process is how residency interviews are extended. 14,17 It has been commonplace for programs to extend more interview offers than slots available, so students need to reply as quickly as possible to try to secure an interview position. 17 In addition to adversely affecting psychological well-being, this has tangible detrimental effects.…”

Surveying Obstetrics and Gynecology Residents About Their Residency Applications, Interviews, and Ranking

“…Despite this, students and their advisors often struggle to determine the number of residency programs needed to match successfully and may overapply out of fear of not matching. 5 This problem is not unique to obstetrics and gynecology; other specialties seek to discourage overapplication to allow for a more in-depth review of applications. 3,7 The AAMC publishes the number of programs needed to apply to successfully match.…”

“…Applicants to all specialties, regardless of the perceived competitiveness of that specialty, 3 feel pressured to apply to more programs and attend more interviews creating potential inequities for applicants with less resources. 4,5 Medical students and their advisors struggle with determining the right mix of programs and ''safe'' numbers of applications to submit and interview invitations to accept. For applicants in the couples match, these concerns are amplified.…”

“…Residency programs strive to attract and recruit residents with genuine interest, who will thrive in their institutions and fit their programs' needs. 4,5 The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and National Resident Matching Program provide some data, but understanding what applicants are looking for in programs and the resources they use to inform application and rank list decisions can help programs improve the process. Thus, the 2018 Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology (CREOG) annual resident survey focused on the application process from the perspective of applicants who matched in our residency programs.…”