Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Ottawa, The Ottawa Hospital, Civic Campus, 1053 Carling Ave, Ottawa, ON, K1Y 4E9, Canada.
Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
CJEM. 2021 Nov;23(6):842-846. doi: 10.1007/s43678-021-00177-w. Epub 2021 Aug 26.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created numerous unique challenges for the recruitment of prospective trainees. Cancellation of visiting electives and in-person interviews created challenges for programs to showcase elements that have been shown to influence applicants' program selection, including geographical considerations and program collegiality. Novel strategies have been recommended and employed to facilitate candidate recruitment, but it is unclear how influential such strategies are on candidates' program ranking. It is also unclear what factors influence program selection among CCFP(EM) candidates. We sought to evaluate the impact of novel recruitment strategies on applicants' ranking of the University of Ottawa CCFP(EM) program and determine factors which were most influential in applicants' first-choice program selection.
An online survey was distributed to all candidates (n = 127) who applied to the University of Ottawa CCFP(EM) program. The survey instrument included 33 items. Respondents were asked to rate on a 3-point scale how influential specific recruitment strategies were on their ranking of our program and the influence of different training factors on their selection of first-choice program.
The survey response rate was 27% (34/127). Recruitment strategies rated as most positively influential included virtual one-on-one meetings with program directors (100%), virtual Q&A sessions (77.8%), virtual communication with chief residents (73.3%), and a mailed personalized recruitment package (72.2%). The top factors influencing applicants' first-choice program selection included: collegiality between faculty and residents (96.4%); level of responsibility given to residents (96.4%); support within the program (96.4%); and procedural opportunities within the program (96.3%).
Facilitating virtual personal interaction with program leadership is highly influential in how CCFP(EM) candidates rank programs. CCFP(EM) candidates value characteristics of a training program over the geographical location and available amenities. Program leaders should consider these findings when recruiting prospective candidates.
COVID-19 大流行给未来学员的招募带来了诸多独特的挑战。访学选修课程和现场面试的取消给项目带来了挑战，因为这些项目展示的元素被证明会影响申请人的项目选择，包括地理位置的考虑和项目的友善氛围。已经推荐并采用了新的策略来促进候选人的招聘，但目前尚不清楚这些策略对候选人的项目排名有多大的影响。同样不清楚的是，在 CCFP(EM)候选人中，是什么因素影响了他们对项目的选择。我们试图评估新的招聘策略对渥太华大学 CCFP(EM)项目申请人排名的影响，并确定影响申请人第一选择项目的最主要因素。
向所有申请渥太华大学 CCFP(EM)项目的候选人（n=127）发放了在线调查。调查问卷包括 33 个项目。受访者被要求在 3 点量表上对特定的招聘策略对他们对我们项目的排名的影响进行评分，并对不同培训因素对他们选择第一选择项目的影响进行评分。
调查的回复率为 27%（34/127）。被评为最具积极影响力的招聘策略包括：与项目主管的虚拟一对一会议（100%）、虚拟问答环节（77.8%）、与住院总医师的虚拟交流（73.3%）以及邮寄个性化的招聘包（72.2%）。影响申请人第一选择项目选择的首要因素包括：教师与住院医师之间的友善关系（96.4%）、给予住院医师的责任水平（96.4%）、项目内的支持（96.4%）以及项目内的程序机会（96.3%）。
促进与项目领导层的虚拟个人互动对 CCFP(EM)候选人如何对项目进行排名有很大的影响。CCFP(EM)候选人更看重培训项目的特点，而不是地理位置和可用设施。项目负责人在招募未来的候选人时应该考虑到这些发现。
