• Ruth Lewit and Ankush Gosain.
• Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, Memphis, Tennessee; Children's Foundation Research Institute, Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.
• J. Surg. Res. 2021 Mar 1; 259: 326-331.

BackgroundAs a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, many Pediatric Surgery Fellowship programs were forced to convert their normal in-person interviews into virtual interviews. This study sought to determine the perceived value of virtual interviews for Pediatric Surgery Fellowship.MethodsAn anonymous survey was distributed to the applicants and faculty at a university-affiliated, free-standing children's hospital with a Pediatric Surgery fellowship program that conducted one of three interview days using a virtual format.ResultsAll applicants who responded to the survey had at least one interview that was converted to a virtual interview. Faculty (75%) and applicants (87.5%) preferred in-person interviews over virtual interviews; most applicants (57%) did not feel they got to know the program as well with the virtual format. Applicants and faculty felt that virtual interviews could potentially be used as a screening tool in the future (7/10 Likert) but did not recommend they be used as a complete replacement for in-person interviews (3.5-5/10 Likert). Applicants were more likely than faculty to report that interview type influenced their final rank list (5 versus 3/10 Likert).ConclusionsFaculty and applicants preferred in-person interviews and did not recommend that virtual interviews replace in-person interviews. As the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic continues, more virtual interviews will be necessary, and innovations may be necessary to ensure an optimal interview process.Type Of StudySurvey.Level Of EvidenceN/A.Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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