Virtual Interviews: An International Medical Student Perspective.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues, all residency programs will most likely shift to virtual interviews for the 2020 to 2021 residency application season. Deitte et al talked about the steps that can be taken to optimize the virtual interview experience and included perspectives from a program director, radiology resident, and US medical student [1]. I would like to include my perspective as an international medical student. I outline some unique challenges that will be faced by international students in this application cycle and how the problems can be overcome.

Students from all over the world apply to residency programs in the United States, but because of the current travel restrictions, many of them may be stranded in their home countries and will not be able to come to the United States. As a result, applicants this cycle will be living in various time zones, which will need to be considered when creating interview schedules. For example, 4 pm Eastern Standard Time, which is a perfectly reasonable time to conduct an interview in the United States, would be 1:30 am for a student in India. When scheduling interviews and sending out invitations, it will be crucial for programs to help accommodate these applicants by giving them slots that will make appearing in interviews easier for them. Technical problems like fast-speed Internet access, proper hardware, and software are likely to occur both on the program side and applicant side. To give applicants time to prepare for these requirements, it would be prudent to e-mail them the technical requirements in advance so that they will have time to prepare for them and will not face any significant technical issues during the interviews.

Many international medical students come to the United States for away rotations 3 to 4 months before the start of the interview cycle. However, because of the travel restrictions as well as hospital restriction on away rotations, these students have now lost a chance to experience the US health care system, explore various programs, and gain valuable letters of recommendation. To help these students, programs can include short video clips about the health care system in the United States and introduce them to the radiology workflow in their program. Because the students cannot gain letters of recommendation from US physicians, consideration should be given to the letters applicants secure from their home institute; a more holistic review of their application should be done with an emphasis on their personal statement and volunteer experience so that the programs can access if the individual would be a good “fit” for their program and would thrive in their culture.

The applicants should also be proactive and reach out to various programs and residents via their social media accounts or e-mail. They can use these platforms to make valuable connections, express their interest, and learn about various programs. Contacting residents can also help them gain information about the culture of the program, which is otherwise gained during away rotations and pre-interview dinners.