Virtual and In-Person Interview Offerings in the General Surgery Residency Application Cycle: A How-to Hybrid

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Residency Programs

Background:

• Virtual interviews for General Surgery residency programs persist despite reduced COVID-19 risks, offering time and cost benefits.
• Concerns exist that virtual interviews hinder applicants' assessment of program "intangibles" compared to in-person interviews.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the success of a hybrid interview system offering General Surgery residency applicants a choice between virtual or in-person interviews.
• To determine if a hybrid model impacts candidate ranking and successful matches.

Main Methods:

• General Surgery residency applicants at one institution chose between virtual or in-person interviews during the 2022-2024 cycles.
• Applicants were ranked and compared only within their chosen interview modality.
• Conglomerate scores informed the final rank list generation.

Main Results:

• 55% of offered interview slots were in-person, filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Top-ranked and bottom-ranked candidates were nearly evenly split between virtual and in-person interview modalities over two years.
• Matched candidates were also drawn from both interview types (62% in-person).

Conclusions:

• A hybrid interview system successfully accommodated applicant choice in General Surgery residency interviews.
• This individualized approach allows for successful matches from both virtual and in-person interview groups.
• Applicant preference for in-person interaction, even with virtual options, should be considered in residency recruitment.