Year two of virtual interviews: longitudinal changes and diverse perspectives

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Graduate Medical Education
• Fellowship Recruitment

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the adoption of virtual interviews (VI) for graduate medical education (GME) and trainee recruitment.
• Applicant experiences with VI may vary across demographic groups.
• Longitudinal data collection assessed changes in applicant attitudes toward VI.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate changes in applicant attitudes toward virtual interviews (VI) over two years.
• To identify demographic differences in VI experiences among fellowship applicants.
• To inform future iterations of the VI format in GME.

Main Methods:

• Anonymous electronic surveys were distributed to pulmonary disease and critical care medicine fellowship applicants.
• Data were collected for the 2021 and 2022 appointment years.
• Demographic data were analyzed to identify between-group differences.

Main Results:

• A 20% response rate (112 responses) was achieved.
• Applicant responses regarding VI showed overall stability between the first two years.
• Significant gender differences emerged, with female applicants more likely to recommend VI.
• Underrepresented minority (URM) applicants placed greater importance on program social media presence.

Conclusions:

• Applicant attitudes toward VI remained consistent over the initial two-year period.
• Subset analyses revealed significant demographic variations in VI perceptions.
• These findings have implications for optimizing the VI format in GME recruitment.