Virtual surgery residency selection: Strategies for programs and candidates

Application of technology to educational needs in surgery

“…Much had to be learned about use of virtual meeting tools for unexpected purposes, such as planning and conducting intern applicant interviews following the 2020 Coalition for Physician Accountability's Work Group's determination that there should be no in‐person interviews for new 2021 residency training positions 86 . The ACS special committee issued broad‐ranging guidelines and recommendations on interview and program information strategies focused on the virtual nature of all 2020–21 interactions with residency and fellowship candidates, 87 but the majority of programs adopted their own solutions, following recommendations from the Association of American Medical Colleges 88 and National Residency Matching Program webinars.…”

Virtual Recruitment in Surgical Residency Programs

“…Some programs recommended decreasing the length of each individual interview due to decreased attention span in a virtual setting [ 11 ], however, others warned that longer interviews were needed for applicants to adequately assess the program [ 12 ]. After trialing 30-min and 20-min interviews, we ultimately settled on each candidate having three 25-min interviews with a paired faculty member and resident, as well as shorter “speed dating” style interviews with the Program Director, Associate Program Director, and Chairperson.…”

“…Usually, signaling is done naturally (i.e., choosing to do an away rotation, or attending a second look). With constraints in place limiting applicants’ abilities to naturally signal their interest, an artificial signaling system could help programs ensure they are interviewing and ranking applicants who are genuinely interested [ 9 , 11 , 25 ]. A third suggestion is for programs to simply interview more people [ 11 ], however, most programs agree this would be an unnecessary hassle with minimal reward, particularly, if the other safeguards are put in place [ 9 ].…”

“…One way virtual interviews may promote diversity in hiring is that the decreased cost of interviewing could help level the playing field for applicants without stable finances. In the past, these students would have been unable to attend as many interviews as their peers, who may be getting financial support from family [ 11 ]. There is, however, concern that students who are unable to pay for high-speed internet or expensive camera and audio equipment will make a poorer impression on a virtual interview, an issue that they would not have in person [ 26 ].…”

“…Many are therefore concerned they will not be able to adequately assess programs without having the opportunity to interact with residents and faculty [ 14 , 15 , 18 ]. Because of this, virtual social events with trainees are considered an absolute necessity during a virtual interview season [ 4 , 9 , 11 ].…”