How Well Does the Standardized Video Interview Score Correlate with Traditional Interview Performance?

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Residency Admissions
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• The Standardized Video Interview (SVI) became mandatory for emergency medicine (EM) residency applicants in 2017.
• The SVI assesses communication and professionalism via a video-recorded interview.
• Its accuracy in reflecting applicant competencies compared to in-person interviews is uncertain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between SVI scores and traditional in-person interview (TI) scores.
• To assess the SVI's utility as a predictor of performance in a standard interview setting.

Main Methods:

• Prospective observational study involving six EM residency programs.
• Applicants' demographic data were collected via Electronic Residency Application Service.
• Interviewers blinded to SVI scores rated applicants on a five-point scale during TIs.

Main Results:

• Analysis included 321 unique applicants.
• Linear regression revealed a small positive linear correlation between SVI and TI scores (r = +0.13, p=0.02).
• This correlation persisted across different SVI score subgroups.

Conclusions:

• A small positive linear correlation exists between SVI scores and TI performance.
• The SVI may provide a limited but positive indication of applicant suitability.
• Further research may explore the SVI's role in comprehensive residency evaluations.