Perspectives on Virtual Interviews Over Live Interviews for Medical Residency Positions
Respondents supported changes limiting the number of programs an applicant can apply, limiting the number of interviews an applicant can accept, and funding for applicants with demonstrated need.”
LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, July 23, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- During the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual interviewing became commonly used in the US. While necessary at the time, there is controversy about whether virtual interviewing should be continued in a post-pandemic world. Virtual interviews have continued subsequent to COVID for Dermatology residency applications. However, there is limited data from the perspectives of those affected.— Thomas Norman, BA
In this new study in SKIN: The Journal of Cutaneous Medicine®, Thomas Norman and his coauthors present an original article describing the viewpoints regarding virtual interviewing of applicants, residents, and faculty who participated in the 2022-2023 US dermatology residency application cycle. 336 respondents (135 applicants, 63 program directors, 77 other faculty, and 61 residents) completed surveys. The largest proportion favored virtual-only interviewing (39%), followed by some combination of in-person and virtual interviews (28%) and in-person–only interviewing (20%).
The advantages that were noted for virtual interviewing included increased convenience, reduced cost, and less environmental impact, while potential downsides included less ability to gauge “fit” of the program. The authors found that the changes respondents’ most supported were limiting the number of programs to which an applicant can apply, limiting the number of interviews an applicant can accept, and providing funding for applicants in need. They suggest that these changes could be incorporated for future application cycles to make the process more efficient and effective.
SKIN: The Journal of Cutaneous Medicine® is a peer-reviewed online medical journal that is the official journal of The National Society for Cutaneous Medicine. The mission of SKIN is to provide an enhanced and accelerated route to disseminate new dermatologic knowledge for all aspects of cutaneous disease.
For more details, please visit www.jofskin.org or contact jofskin@gmail.com.
Thomas Norman, BA
University of Southern California
tenorman@usc.edu
