The use of virtual interviews and new trends in orthopedic surgery residency match

This retrospective cross-sectional study sought to determine if there was a change in geographical trends in the orthopedic surgery residency match with the use of virtual interviews. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, visiting rotations at outside institutions were restricted and all residency interviews were conducted virtually for the 2021 match. Given these restrictions, it was hypothesized that applicants would match at a higher rate to their medical school-affiliated residency programs, or geographically nearby their medical school. Data was collected from residency program website and social media accounts to determine if the use of virtual interviews correlated with a decreased rate of matching at outside institutions. During the 2021 match, applicants who applied to orthopedic surgery in 2021 were more likely to match at their medical school-affiliated institution (OR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.18-1.80; p < 0.01) compared to applicants during previous years. However, match rates were not different in terms of geographical regions. Virtual interviews are more cost-effective for both applicants and programs, however, this study demonstrates there are associated changes with this new interview structure. The utility of virtual interviews as a standard method in the future should take this change in trend into consideration.