C.J. Glenn1, M. Mathur1, C.G. Pratt1, A.N. Moore1, R.M. Van Haren1 1University Of Cincinnati, College Of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Introduction: Residency interviews shifted to a virtual format in 2020 and have predominantly remained virtual. Residency program director experiences regarding interview format have been described. There is limited data describing the applicant’s preference for interview format. The purpose of this study is to identify applicant interview format preference for virtual or in-person interviews for integrated thoracic surgery residency.
Methods: An online survey is being distributed internationally via several virtual avenues (social media, email to Thoracic Student Medical Association group) to 4th year medical students applying to integrated thoracic surgery residencies. This survey aims primarily to identify interview format preference and reasoning, but also included important additional demographic, geographic and academic data points to be used for subset analysis. We aim to capture greater than or equal to 50% of the predicted cohort size, approximately 115 applicants.
Results: In our preliminary results, participants (n=26) were primarily male (17/26, 65.4%), dual applying (24/26, 92.3%), had median Step 2 score of 260, and plan to apply to a median of 30 programs. There was no difference between AOA members (6/26, 23.1%) and not (6/26, 23.1%). There were half as many GHHS members (6/26, 23.1%), compared to not (12/26, 46.2%). Most applicants attend medical schools in the East North Central (8/26, 30.8%), West South Central (4/26, 15.4%) and Middle Atlantic (3/26, 11.5%) regions. Residency location preferences are East North Central (10/26, 38.5%), no geographic preference (10/26, 38.5%) and Middle Atlantic (6/26, 23.1%). Applicants prefer a virtual format (14/26, 53.8%) compared to in-person (9/26, 34.6%) while some had no preference (3/26, 11.5%). Applicants that preferred in-person compared to virtual interviews had a higher median Step 2 score (264 vs. 245, p=0.03). Applicants who preferred virtual format ranked cost (p=0.002) as most influential, while applicants who preferred in-person reported meeting residents/faculty (p=0.04, p=0.04), exploring program city (p=0.04), and program fit (p=0.048) as influential factors for format preference.
Conclusion: In this ongoing study, applicants to integrated thoracic surgery training programs prefer a virtual format for their residency interviews due to cost. Importance of various interview factors differed between those who preferred virtual compared to in-person. Residency programs should consider the preferences of all stakeholders when deciding on their preferred interview format.