Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Ottawa, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
CJEM. 2022 Aug;24(5):498-502. doi: 10.1007/s43678-022-00312-1. Epub 2022 May 30.
Due to the COVID pandemic, restrictions were put in place mandating that all residency interviews be transitioned to a virtual format. Canadian CCFP(EM) programs were among the first to embark on this universal virtual interview process for resident selection. Although there have been several recent publications suggesting best practice guidelines for virtual interviews in trainee selection, pragmatic experiences and opinions from Program Directors (PDs) are lacking. This study aimed to elicit the experiences and perspectives of CCFP(EM) PDs after being amongst the first to conduct universal virtual interviews in Canada.
A 17-item online survey was created and distributed to all CCFP(EM) PDs (n = 17). It explored the virtual interview format employed, perceived advantages and disadvantages of a virtual configuration, confidence in determining a candidate's rank order, and PD preference for employing a virtual interview format in the future. It also elicited practical advice to conduct a smooth and successful virtual interview day.
The survey response rate was 76.5% (13/17). Nine respondents (69.2%) agreed that the virtual interview format enabled them to confidently determine a candidate's rank order. With respect to preference for future use of virtual interviews, 23.1% agreed, 38.5% disagreed and 38.5% neither agreed nor disagreed. Inductive thematic analysis of free text responses revealed themes related to virtual interview advantages (time, financial, and resource costs), disadvantages (difficulty promoting smaller programs, getting a 'feel' for candidates and assessing their interpersonal skills), and practical tips to facilitate virtual interview processes.
Once restrictions are lifted, cost-saving advantages must be weighed against suggested disadvantages such as showcasing program strengths and assessing interpersonal skills in choosing between traditional and virtual formats. Should virtual interviews become a routine part of resident selection, the advice suggested in this study may be considered to help optimize a successful virtual interview process.
由于 COVID 大流行，所有住院医师面试都被要求转换为虚拟形式。加拿大 CCFP(EM) 项目是首批采用这种通用虚拟面试流程进行住院医师选拔的项目之一。尽管最近有几篇关于虚拟面试在学员选拔中最佳实践指南的出版物，但缺乏来自项目主任 (PD) 的实际经验和意见。这项研究旨在了解 CCFP(EM) PD 在加拿大率先进行通用虚拟面试后的经验和观点。
创建了一个包含 17 个问题的在线调查，并分发给所有 CCFP(EM) PD（n=17）。它探讨了所采用的虚拟面试形式、虚拟配置的优缺点、确定候选人排名的信心，以及 PD 对未来采用虚拟面试形式的偏好。它还征求了进行顺利和成功的虚拟面试日的实用建议。
调查回复率为 76.5%（13/17）。9 名受访者（69.2%）同意虚拟面试形式使他们能够有信心确定候选人的排名。关于未来使用虚拟面试的偏好，23.1%同意，38.5%不同意，38.5%既不同意也不反对。对自由文本回复的归纳主题分析揭示了与虚拟面试优势（时间、财务和资源成本）、劣势（难以宣传较小的项目、对候选人有“感觉”以及评估他们的人际交往能力）以及促进虚拟面试流程的实用技巧相关的主题。
一旦限制解除，在传统和虚拟格式之间进行选择时，必须权衡节省成本的优势与展示项目优势和评估人际交往能力等建议的劣势。如果虚拟面试成为住院医师选拔的常规部分，本研究中提出的建议可以考虑帮助优化成功的虚拟面试流程。
