BACKGROUND: For the 2019-2020 interview season, the anesthesia residency program at Augusta University offered candidates a choice between in-person (IP) and video conference (VC) interviews to accommodate a greater number of qualified candidates. METHODS: The same applicant selection criteria were used for both interview types. However, we modified the informal interactions with residents, campus tours, and interview formats for VC interviews. We sought to compare the 2 methods by analyzing the respective costs, benefits, and match results. RESULTS: Of 159 candidates interviewed, we ranked 127 and matched with 12. The IP (n = 135) and VC (n = 24) groups were similar in gender distribution but not by the type of medical school, with more international medical graduates interviewing by VC than IP. There was no statistically significant difference between the 2 interview types for being ranked (81% of IP, 71% of VC) or matched (6% of IP, 17% of VC). US Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 and Step 2 scores and type of medical school did not affect the likelihood of being ranked or matched. Program costs per candidate were higher for the IP group ($431 for IP, $294 for VC). CONCLUSION: Our single-center study indicates that the interview type did not affect the likelihood of a candidate being ranked by or matched to our program. Further, VC interviews were more cost-effective and time-effective than IP interviews. Our findings suggest that VC interviews are a viable alternative and should be an option for residency interviews.
BACKGROUND: For the 2019-2020 interview season, the anesthesia residency program at Augusta University offered candidates a choice between in-person (IP) and video conference (VC) interviews to accommodate a greater number of qualified candidates. METHODS: The same applicant selection criteria were used for both interview types. However, we modified the informal interactions with residents, campus tours, and interview formats for VC interviews. We sought to compare the 2 methods by analyzing the respective costs, benefits, and match results. RESULTS: Of 159 candidates interviewed, we ranked 127 and matched with 12. The IP (n = 135) and VC (n = 24) groups were similar in gender distribution but not by the type of medical school, with more international medical graduates interviewing by VC than IP. There was no statistically significant difference between the 2 interview types for being ranked (81% of IP, 71% of VC) or matched (6% of IP, 17% of VC). US Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 and Step 2 scores and type of medical school did not affect the likelihood of being ranked or matched. Program costs per candidate were higher for the IP group ($431 for IP, $294 for VC). CONCLUSION: Our single-center study indicates that the interview type did not affect the likelihood of a candidate being ranked by or matched to our program. Further, VC interviews were more cost-effective and time-effective than IP interviews. Our findings suggest that VC interviews are a viable alternative and should be an option for residency interviews.
Authors: Sirichai Pasadhika; Todd Altenbernd; Richard R Ober; Erin M Harvey; Joseph M Miller Journal: Ophthalmology Date: 2012-02 Impact factor: 12.079
Authors: Satyan K Shah; Sanjeev Arora; Betty Skipper; Summers Kalishman; T Craig Timm; Anthony Y Smith Journal: J Urol Date: 2012-02-16 Impact factor: 7.450
Authors: Gildàsio S de Oliveira; Tulsi Akikwala; Mark C Kendall; Paul C Fitzgerald; John T Sullivan; Christopher Zell; Robert J McCarthy Journal: Anesthesiology Date: 2012-08 Impact factor: 7.892
Authors: Steven B Bird; H Gene Hern; Andra Blomkalns; Nicole M Deiorio; Yolanda Haywood; Katherine M Hiller; Dana Dunleavy; Keith Dowd Journal: Acad Med Date: 2019-10 Impact factor: 6.893
Authors: David W Chou; Steven D Pletcher; David Bruss; C Kwang Sung; Rodney C Diaz; Jonathan Liang; Megan L Durr Journal: Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg Date: 2020-09-01 Impact factor: 3.497