Efficacy of Videoconference Interviews in the Pediatric Surgery Match

The pediatric surgery match is highly competitive with the interview process requiring significant resources. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of videoconference interviewing (VI) as a screening tool in the pediatric surgery match process.

During the 2017 interview season, applicants participated in VI prior to on-site interviews. Applicants and faculty completed 15 and 8-question surveys, respectively, regarding their experiences.

Both faculty and applicants agreed VI was easily workable and allowed them to accurately represent themselves. Faculty agreed VI would change how they rank candidates and that it is a helpful screening tool. Most disagreed VI could substitute for on-site interviews. Most applicants reported the cost and time required for on-site interviews was a hardship. Overall, applicants moved an average of 5.5 ± 2.9 (median 3) positions from the pre-VI to post-VI rank list. Thirty-seven percent of applicants moved out of the top ten rank list following VI. Of the lowest 5 applicants on the post-VI rank list, only 20% matched successfully.

The pediatric surgery match requires a significant investment of time and money that creates a hardship for most applicants. VI may be an effective screening tool that could potentially reduce on-site interviews and alleviate the burden on applicants and general surgery training programs.