Standardized Interview Scoring Methodology for Neurosurgical Residency Applicant Selection.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Neurosurgery Training
• Applicant Evaluation

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated virtual interviews for neurosurgery residency applications.
• Standardized methods were needed to evaluate non-cognitive attributes and program compatibility during virtual interviews.
• Our department implemented a novel interviewer survey to address these challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the reliability and potential biases of a standardized interviewer survey used in neurosurgery residency interviews.
• To evaluate the survey's effectiveness in measuring non-cognitive attributes and program fit.
• To determine if interviewer or applicant sex influenced evaluation outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A 5-question interviewer survey was administered during the 2020-2021 neurosurgery residency interview season.
• Survey metrics were retrospectively analyzed, with interviewers categorized by faculty/resident status and sex.
• Applicant scores were analyzed within sex subgroups; intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) assessed reliability.

Main Results:

• Fifteen interviewers (8 faculty, 7 residents) and 35 applicants participated.
• Female reviewers assigned higher scores than male reviewers (P = .003), but no difference was found between faculty and resident reviewers.
• No significant differences in total applicant scores were observed based on applicant sex across all reviewer groups.
• ICC analysis indicated good to excellent reliability for all survey questions and overall scores.

Conclusions:

• The standardized interviewer survey is a feasible and reliable tool for assessing non-cognitive attributes in neurosurgery residency candidates.
• The survey demonstrated good to excellent reliability, supporting its use in virtual interview settings.
• This study found no discernible evidence of sex bias in applicant evaluations within this single-program experience.