Education Research: Has Video Killed the Interview Star?: A Survey of Current Neurology Residents on In-Person vs Virtual Residency Interviews.

Publication/Presentation Date

12-1-2024

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The residency application process relies on interviews, which allow programs and applicants to assess one another. Historically, interviews were conducted in person at each program. With the advent of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, residency interviews shifted to a virtual format. Now, many specialties are choosing to return to in-person interviews. The objective of this study was to evaluate the resident perspective of virtual and in-person interviews.

METHODS: We created a survey about various aspects of the residency interview process and distributed it to neurology residents in all years of training from 5 institutions across the United States. Because of the timing of survey distribution, some residents interviewed in-person while others interviewed virtually. We focused the survey on a few themes: number of applications, cost, and overall quality. Survey response data were analyzed using generalized linear models and by nonparametric methods for categorical data.

RESULTS: Of the 164 total residents among the 5 programs, 60 completed the survey; 25 (41.7%) interviewed in-person while 35 (58.3%) interviewed virtually. Applicants who interviewed virtually applied to more programs (38.2 ± 26.6 vs 20.7 ± 7.4,

DISCUSSION: There are multiple factors to consider when deciding on in-person or virtual residency interviews. In-person interviews are significantly more expensive and thus raise issues of equity but also provide better insight into the culture, location, and "fit" of programs and can help to reduce application burden. All these factors need to be considered before moving forward with a decision on residency interview formats for the future.

Volume

3

Issue

4

First Page

200161

Last Page

200161

ISSN

2771-9979

Disciplines

Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Health and Medical Administration | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods

PubMedID

39748888

Department(s)

Administration and Leadership

Document Type

Article

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