Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, Calif.
Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, Calif.
J Vasc Surg. 2022 Jan;75(1):316-322.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jvs.2021.05.060. Epub 2021 Jun 29.
Integrated vascular surgery residency (IVSR) applicant perspective about the match process has been rarely studied, yet this has important implications on trainee recruitment. We sought to better understand the nature of the interview process and post-interview communication and its impact on students' ranking choices.
A voluntary and anonymous survey was sent to students who matched to IVSR in 2020, inquiring about interviews, post-interview communications, and factors influencing students' rank lists.
Seventy of the 73 matched students completed the survey (96% response rate; 23 female and 47 male respondents). Applicants reported they were asked questions about other programs of interest (81.4%), top choice programs (65.7%), marital status (32.9%), family planning (7.1%), and religion (1.4%) during interviews. Female applicants were more frequently asked questions about family planning (17.4% vs 2.1%; P < .01) and marital status (52.5% vs 23.4%; P < .01) compared with male applicants. After interviews, 92.9% of applicants notified their top choice program of their ranking preference. Of applicants, 61.4% received post-interview communication with regards to ranking from at least one program, initiated by program directors in 81.3% of instances. Among these applicants, 58.1% reported that the post-interview communication had an impact on their rank list, and 46.5% matched at a program by which they were contacted. Of applicants, 5.7% were asked by a program to reveal their ranking of the program, and 11.4% were promised by a program to be ranked first if the applicant reciprocally ranked them first. Female and male applicants weighed program culture, operative volume, mentorship, and prestige equally in making their rank list. Male applicants weighed the sub-internship experience more significantly; however, female applicants weighed the sub-internship experience, personal relationships in certain cities, dedicated professional development years, and large female representation in the program more heavily (P < .02).
This study provides insight into the interview experience and impactful factors for the vascular surgery match. Both female and male applicants were asked a high number of questions about personal matters unrelated to medical school performance. Female applicants, however, experienced a higher proportion of these instances, particularly regarding family planning. These findings demonstrate the factors that are important to applicants in the match process and raises awareness of potential challenges in the interview and recruitment process.
血管外科学住院医师综合培训项目（IVSR）申请人对匹配过程的看法很少被研究，但这对学员招募有重要影响。我们试图更好地了解面试过程和面试后的沟通性质，以及其对学生排名选择的影响。
我们向 2020 年匹配 IVSR 的学生发送了一份自愿和匿名调查，询问他们有关面试、面试后沟通以及影响学生排名列表的因素。
73 名匹配的学生中有 70 名完成了调查（96%的回复率；23 名女性和 47 名男性应答者）。申请人报告说，他们在面试中被问到了其他感兴趣的项目（81.4%）、首选项目（65.7%）、婚姻状况（32.9%）、生育计划（7.1%）和宗教信仰（1.4%）。与男性申请者相比，女性申请者更常被问到有关生育计划（17.4%比 2.1%；P<0.01）和婚姻状况（52.5%比 23.4%；P<0.01）的问题。面试后，92.9%的申请人将他们的排名偏好通知了首选项目。在申请人中，61.4%的人至少收到了一个项目的面试后关于排名的沟通，其中 81.3%是由项目主任发起的。在这些申请人中，58.1%的人表示面试后的沟通对他们的排名有影响，46.5%的人在被联系的项目中匹配。在申请人中，有 5.7%的人被一个项目要求透露他们对该项目的排名，有 11.4%的人被一个项目承诺，如果申请人也将他们排在第一位，就会将他们排在第一位。女性和男性申请者在制定排名时同样重视项目文化、手术量、指导和声誉。然而，男性申请者更看重实习经历；然而，女性申请者更看重实习经历、某些城市的人际关系、专业发展年以及项目中大量的女性代表（P<0.02）。
本研究深入了解了血管外科学匹配的面试经验和有影响力的因素。女性和男性申请者都被问到了很多与医学院表现无关的个人问题。然而，女性申请者经历了更多这样的情况，尤其是关于生育计划。这些发现表明了在匹配过程中对申请者重要的因素，并提高了对面试和招聘过程中潜在挑战的认识。
