• Adam Truong, Farin Amersi, Van Chau, and Taryne Imai.
• Department of Surgery, 22494Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
• Am Surg. 2021 Dec 1; 87 (10): 1678-1683.

BackgroundFellows have been uniquely affected by the widespread changes in educational structure, mandatory limitations in elective procedural volume, and hiring freezes during the COVID-19 global pandemic.Study DesignA voluntary and anonymous survey was distributed to all Graduate Medical Education fellows at a tertiary medical center querying perspectives on clinical and didactic training and job placement.ResultsA total of 47 of 121 fellows (39%) completed the survey. The majority were in a medical (43%) or surgical specialty (34%) followed by critical care (13%) and procedure-based (11%) fellowships. Approximately 59% of surveyed fellows felt their programs were providing a virtual curriculum that would train them just as well as the in-person curriculum. Twenty-eight (60%) fellows were in their final or only year of training. Of the 25 fellows who were seeking employment, 52% have experienced difficulty in finding a job due to hiring freezes and 40% have encountered challenges with job interview cancellations and changes to virtual interview formats.ConclusionAlmost half of surveyed fellows reported an educational deterioration due to COVID-19 and graduating fellows seeking employment felt hindered by both the virtual interview format and widespread hiring freeze. Fellows are both unique and vulnerable as they balance the solidification of clinical training with securing employment during these tumultuous and unprecedented times.

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