Impact of Gift Giving During General Surgery Resident Match Interviewing Since Initiation of Virtual Interviews

Following the transition to virtual interviews in 2021, interviewees began receiving gifts as a recruitment strategy in lieu of the preinterview dinner. This study characterizes quantity, type, and frequency of gift receipt in relation to program perception and ranking.

An anonymous survey study was conducted. Variables included demographics, interview modality, gift type, frequency of gift receipt, monetary value, and changes in program perception and ranking. Descriptive analyses and Pearson's chi-square testing were performed.

Single institution with a medium to large general surgery program size.

All general surgery residents at the single institution without exclusion.

About 25 residents responded (60% response). Two respondents (8%) participated in both in-person (IPIs) and virtual interviews (VIs). About 72% (n = 18) participated in VIs, 36% (n = 9) IPIs. About 68% matched in 2021 or later. Overall, 76% received a gift during interviews. 100% of IPIs received a gift, while 67% of VIs received a gift. 88.9% of IPIs received a meal. VIs received: meal shared (28.6%), meal not shared (14.3%), food-specific gift card (28.6%), other food items (21.4%), or other (7.1%). About 66.7% of IPIs (n = 6) reported 76% to100% of programs offered a meal, whereas no VIs reported 76% to 100% of programs offering (p = 0.0002). VIs were less likely to have a shared meal experience (p = 0.017). About 55.5% of IPIs and VIs received nonfood gifts. Residents' perception of a program's interest, resources, and ranking of the program were not significantly different based on gifting.

Virtual interviews introduced heterogeneity in the receipt of gifts. The impact of a variable gifting experience is uncertain but raises concern for a potential new source of bias in the recruitment process.