Physician Assistant School Applicants' Perceptions of Virtual Interviews

To evaluate the attitudes of applicants of virtual physician assistant (PA) school interviews during the 2021-2022 cycle which was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This quasi-experimental design studied applicants to PA programs in the United States. The study recruited applicants who interviewed virtually between March 2020 and January 2022 via an anonymous online survey. In addition to demographic information, the survey contained 20 questions regarding virtual PA school interviews.

Study population n= 164. Most of the study participants were interviewed using a Zoom platform (n=147). Overall, there was an above-neutral satisfaction with virtual interviews (3.7 ±1.0, X2= 91.2, p=0.00001). The majority of participants preferred a virtual platform (56%) versus an in-person interview (44%). When stratified by race, 87% of non-White participants preferred a virtual platform for admissions. Ranked order benefits of attending virtual interviews included lower travel cost, less time away from work, ability to interview at more PA programs, and comfort interviewing at home.

Virtual interviews were adopted by many medical education programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study provides support that PA applicants prefer a virtual platform due to lower cost and less time away from work. Further research is needed to determine preferences outside PA admissions.