The Association Between Virtual Interviewing and Geographical Distribution of Matched Residency Programs for General...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Residency Recruitment
• Health Services Research

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a shift to virtual interviews for medical residency applications.
• This change aimed to provide flexibility and reduce geographical constraints for applicants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the impact of virtual interviewing on the geographic distribution of matched general surgery residency programs.
• To compare the geographic variability of residency matches in 2021 (virtual interviews) versus 2020 (in-person interviews).

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 2153 PGY1 (virtual) and PGY2 (in-person) general surgery residents in the continental US.
• Data collected from publicly accessible residency websites, focusing on geographic proximity between medical school and matched residency program.

Main Results:

• No significant differences were observed in average distance between medical school and matched program (634.2 vs 662.5 miles).
• The percentage of residents matched within 500 miles of their medical school was similar (57.3% vs 55.7%).
• Average flight prices and availability of non-stop flights also showed no significant variation between the two groups.

Conclusions:

• Virtual interviewing for general surgery residency did not significantly alter the geographic distribution of matched programs.
• The shift to virtual interviews did not impact the geographical considerations for residency applicants.