Quinn Kristen M, Downing Maren, Runge Louis T, White Jared, Streck Christian J, Donahue Colleen
Department of Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
School of Osteopathic Medicine, Campbell University, Lillington, NC, USA.
Am Surg. 2025 Aug 12:31348251367047. doi: 10.1177/00031348251367047.
PurposeVirtual General Surgery residency interviews remain common despite the easing of travel restrictions and health risks associated with the spread of COVID-19. The primary benefits of virtual interviews include time and cost savings for applicants and programs alike. Despite these benefits, many have advocated for a return to the in-person setting, citing improved ability for applicants to assess the intangibles of a program. In the 2022-2024 application cycles, our institution offered general surgery applicants the choice to interview virtually or in-person.MethodsApplicants who received an interview invitation for a categorical general surgery residency position at our institution could schedule either an in-person or virtual interview. Four in-person interview dates and 4 virtual interview dates were offered and filled. Applicants were ranked daily, compared only to those interviewed in the same modality. Conglomerate scores were then used to generate the overall rank list.ResultsInterviews were filled in a first-come first-serve manner with 55% of interview slots offered being in-person. A comparison of top-ranked and bottom-ranked individuals over 2 years demonstrates a near even split of their interviewing modality (60% of top-ranked candidates interviewed in person while 46.7% of bottom-ranked candidates interviewed in person, in the past 2 years). Matched candidates were also from both interview modalities (62% in-person).ConclusionWe describe the successful implementation of a hybrid interview system that allowed applicants to choose their interview modality. Prior data has demonstrated that when afforded the choice, most applicants elect to complete at least one interview in person and attend in-person post-interview events. This preference should not be ignored. Our study demonstrates that an individualized interview process can be offered with a successful Match of candidates from both interview types, allowing candidates the power and choice of their desired modality.
目的
尽管与COVID-19传播相关的旅行限制有所放宽且健康风险降低，但虚拟普通外科住院医师面试仍然很常见。虚拟面试的主要好处包括为申请者和项目节省时间和成本。尽管有这些好处，但许多人主张回归面对面面试，理由是申请者评估项目无形方面的能力有所提高。在2022 - 2024年申请周期中，我们机构为普通外科申请者提供了虚拟或面对面面试的选择。
方法
收到我们机构普通外科住院医师职位面试邀请的申请者可以安排面对面或虚拟面试。提供并填满了4个面对面面试日期和4个虚拟面试日期。申请者每天进行排名，仅与相同面试形式的人进行比较。然后使用综合分数生成总体排名名单。
结果
面试以先到先得的方式进行，提供的面试时段中有55%是面对面的。对过去两年排名靠前和靠后的申请者进行比较发现，他们的面试形式几乎平分秋色（在过去两年中，60%的排名靠前的申请者进行了面对面面试，而46.7%的排名靠后的申请者进行了面对面面试）。匹配的申请者也来自两种面试形式（62%为面对面）。
结论
我们描述了一种混合面试系统的成功实施，该系统允许申请者选择他们的面试形式。先前的数据表明，当有选择时，大多数申请者会选择至少进行一次面对面面试并参加面试后的面对面活动。这种偏好不应被忽视。我们的研究表明，可以提供个性化的面试流程，两种面试类型的申请者都能成功匹配，让申请者有选择他们期望形式的权力。
