Family medicine
-
Virtual residency interviews were widely utilized during the COVID-19 pandemic. Little is known about the effectiveness, advantages, barriers, and acceptability of virtual interviews, casting uncertainty about how interviews should be conducted after the pandemic. We conducted a survey of interviewers to inform future decisions. ⋯ Interviewers found virtual interviews to be effective in most aspects, and identified more advantages than barriers. The vast majority preferred incorporation of virtual interviews in the future. Virtual tours and social activities were areas for improvement.
-
Virtual interviews (VI) for residency programs present a relatively new paradigm for recruitment. To date, studies have been small, largely descriptive, and focused on surgical and subspecialty areas. The purpose of the study was to assess residents' perceptions about their VI experience and to compare those in primary care versus non-primary care specialties. ⋯ Respondents reported that the VI portrays the residency experience fairly well, yet there is opportunity to improve the overall experience. The more difficult experiences to convey (morale, camaraderie, and the overall resident experience) may be areas in which primary care programs are outpacing other training programs.
-
The COVID-19 pandemic obliged the field of graduate medical education to pivot from in-person to virtual residency interviews in 2020. The decreased travel and financial barriers of this format could potentially lead to greater diversity and equity in the primary care workforce. We aimed to evaluate changes in applicant pools from in-person to virtual interviewing cycles. ⋯ The virtual interviewing format did not appear to substantially increase the geographic, racial, or ethnic diversity of applicants, and was associated with increased applications from US medical schools.
-
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated virtual residency interview adoption. The impact of virtual interviews on program directors' (PD) National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) Match satisfaction, their future interview plans, and their perceptions about virtual interviews' influence on bias are unknown. We report the results of a survey of family medicine (FM) PDs about these topics after mandatory virtual interviews in 2020-2021. ⋯ Most FM PDs conducted entirely virtual interviews in 2020 and were satisfied with the Match. Interview processes including residents and conveying residency culture increased Match satisfaction. PDs are concerned about bias in virtual interviews, but more investigation about bias is needed.