Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program Adherence to Universal Interview Offer Day Guidelines: A Retrospective...

Area of Science:

• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Medical Education
• Residency Admissions

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated adaptations in the 2020-2021 orthopaedic residency application cycle.
• A universal interview offer day (UIOD) was recommended to synchronize interview offer releases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess adherence to UIOD guidelines in orthopaedic surgery residency programs during the 2020-2021 cycle.
• To determine the speed at which programs filled interview slots.
• To compare interview booking times between applicants with .edu and .com email domains.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 46 orthopaedic residency programs and 993 interviewees using Thalamus software.
• Categorization of program adherence to UIOD guidelines (strict, weak, nonadherent).
• Measurement of time to fill 80% of interview capacity and time from offer release to applicant booking.

Main Results:

• Only 41% of programs were strictly adherent to the UIOD; 28% were nonadherent.
• Interview slots filled rapidly, averaging 26 minutes to reach 80% capacity for programs releasing on UIOD.
• .edu domain applicants booked interviews slightly later on average than .com domain applicants (14.8 vs 13.0 minutes, P < 0.05).

Conclusions:

• Less than half of participating orthopaedic residency programs strictly adhered to the UIOD during its first implementation.
• A phased or waved approach to the UIOD may enhance the process for future recruitment cycles.
• Further research is needed to evaluate the fully virtual 2020-2021 recruitment season.