Jeffrey Berger1, Negin Daneshpayeh2, Nichelle Cook3, Adam Sachs4. 1. Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology in the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, The George Washington University, Washington, DC. 2. Medical Student, The George Washington University, Washington,DC. 3. Pain Medicine Fellow at Stanford University Medical Center, Department of Anesthesiology, Palo Alto, CA. 4. Anesthesiology University Langone Medical Center, Department of Anesthesiology, New York, NY.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Our research team investigated the value of a weekend interview for residency applicants. The importance of this offering to medical student interviewees has yet to be investigated and the implications are great, particularly with respect to applicant scheduling, costs, staffing, and potentially even program selection from the applicant's perspective. We aimed to determine if a weekend interview compared favorably to a typical weekday interview for residency applicants to our program. METHODS: Following exemption from The George Washington University (GW) Institutional Review Board, an 18 question web-based survey was sent to 123 residency applicants who interviewed for GW's anesthesiology program. The results were collected anonymously, and data was analyzed using Pearson chi squared tests. RESULTS: Of 123 surveys, 67 were completed for a response rate of 54%. The weekend interview was a "positive" offering with respect to focus on the applicant (71.6%, CI 60.1 - 82.4) and scheduling (83.8%, CI 75.1 - 92.6). Other considerations such as: decision to apply, rank, family time, costs, tourism, and exposure to routine work day were not significant factors in applicant decision-making. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the day of interview did not affect applicants' decisions to apply, interview, or rank the program. A weekend interview offering allowed for greater program focus on the applicant and easier scheduling of the interview from the medical student applicants' perspective.
BACKGROUND: Our research team investigated the value of a weekend interview for residency applicants. The importance of this offering to medical student interviewees has yet to be investigated and the implications are great, particularly with respect to applicant scheduling, costs, staffing, and potentially even program selection from the applicant's perspective. We aimed to determine if a weekend interview compared favorably to a typical weekday interview for residency applicants to our program. METHODS: Following exemption from The George Washington University (GW) Institutional Review Board, an 18 question web-based survey was sent to 123 residency applicants who interviewed for GW's anesthesiology program. The results were collected anonymously, and data was analyzed using Pearson chi squared tests. RESULTS: Of 123 surveys, 67 were completed for a response rate of 54%. The weekend interview was a "positive" offering with respect to focus on the applicant (71.6%, CI 60.1 - 82.4) and scheduling (83.8%, CI 75.1 - 92.6). Other considerations such as: decision to apply, rank, family time, costs, tourism, and exposure to routine work day were not significant factors in applicant decision-making. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the day of interview did not affect applicants' decisions to apply, interview, or rank the program. A weekend interview offering allowed for greater program focus on the applicant and easier scheduling of the interview from the medical student applicants' perspective.
Authors: Carolyn R Rogers; Karol A Gutowski; Alejandro Munoz-Del Rio; David L Larson; Moira Edwards; Juliana E Hansen; W Thomas Lawrence; Thomas R Stevenson; Michael L Bentz Journal: Plast Reconstr Surg Date: 2009-05 Impact factor: 4.730