The General Surgery Residency Applicant Perspective: Virtual Interviews Limit Current Resident and Faculty Exposure, But Save Money

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic required applicants to adapt an entirely virtual interview platform. We sought to evaluate the impact on applicant perception during the 2021 Match. Methods: A voluntary, anonymous survey with 5-point Likert scale and free text was sent to our general surgery interview applicants (Fig. 1). Data including demographics were analyzed using chi-square and paired t-tests. Results: Surveys were completed by 75 of 108 (64.9%) interviewees. Mean (SD) age was 26.9 (2.11) years, 53.3% were male, 77.3% were non-Hispanic White, and 19.9% were an underrepresented minority. Disproportionately fewer female and underrepresented minority applicants completed the survey. Applicants accepted a median of 17 interviews (range 2 to 40). Sixty percent (n = 45) applied to more programs and 52% (n = 39) accepted more interviews because they were virtual;only 25.3% (n = 19) applied to more diverse geographic locations. Perceived advantages include saving money (96%), saving time (45.3%), and avoiding COVID-19 transmission risks (42.7%). Top limitations include the inability to observe the interactions between faculty, residents, and staff (61.3%), difficulty comparing programs (57.3%), and less exposure to current residents and faculty (57.3%). Despite demographic differences, interviewees were generally in agreement with no statistically significant differences in responses. Conclusion: The sudden shift to virtual interviews presented unique challenges and opportunities. The inability to observe interactions and meet in person with future attendings and residents was a significant dissatisfier. Beyond COVID-19, efforts to reduce interview costs and increase accessibility will need to be balanced against the intangible benefit of human interaction and observing a program’s culture. [Formula presented]