Virtual Residency Interviews: Optimization for Applicants

Social distancing guidelines during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have created substantial changes in undergraduate medical education in the United States. Specifically, the Coalition for Physician Accountability recommended that all programs transition to online interviews and visits for the 2020-21 application cycle. Current literature lacks concrete recommendations with visual examples for how interviewees should best prepare their interview rooms. The authors present cost-conscious recommendations addressing three main areas: the interview room background/environment, audiovisual quality, and virtual interview etiquette, while providing two before and after intervention photographs. Through optimization of these three domains, applicants can present the best versions of themselves during virtual residency interviews.