Improving the online presence of residency programs to ameliorate COVID-19's impact on residency applications

Objectives: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created several challenges for residency programs and prospective interns alike during the upcoming application cycle, including the cancellation of away sub-internships and in-person interviews. Given prior research documenting that applicants' application and ranking decisions are significantly influenced by residency webpages, a potential solution to the loss of in-person experiences during the pandemic is the expansion of residency programs' online presence through their program websites, provision of virtual grand rounds and pseudo-away rotations, and enhancement of virtual interviews. This study seeks to summarize the existing literature on these areas and provide concrete suggestions for improving programs' virtual presence.Methods: The authors summarize earlier literature querying the content of program websites across 14 medical specialties, which documented significant gaps in the content of interest to applicants.Results: Among 14 analyzed specialties, the majority of programs had a functional website (>90%), with the exception of interventional radiology (73.9%). However, significant gaps in content were documented, with the percentage of content variables contained on websites ranging from 33.3% to 70.5% (median = 47.0%, interquartile range = 37.8-52.6%). Program websites were also limited by underrepresentation of content most valued by applicants as well as potential areas of inaccurate or outdated information.Conclusions: There are several interventions programs can undertake to address existing gaps in online presence. During an application cycle facing unprecedented resource strain, bolstering the online presence of programs may facilitate an improved fit between programs and future residents.