Applicant Characteristics Associated with Retina Fellowship Match from 2010–2019

Burton, Eleanor; Mishra, Kapil; Arsiwala, Lubaina Tayeb; Zafar, Sidra; Justin, Grant A.; Mruthyunjaya, Prithvi; Woreta, Fasika A.

doi:10.1016/j.oret.2022.06.008

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…7 Costs associated with the traditional vitreoretinal fellowship application cycle are comparable to those associated with residency applications, with one survey indicating an average cost of $5500. 8 With rising costs, the steadily increasing number of ophthalmology residents applying to fellowship programs, 9 and the trend for candidates to interview at an increasing number of programs, 10 there may be lasting advantages to the virtual interview format extending beyond the necessities of the pandemic. To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the perceptions of vitreoretinal surgery fellowship applicants with respect to the virtual interview process.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of Virtual Vitreoretinal Surgery Fellowship Interview and Match Experience

Johnson

Tausif

Gill

2023

Journal of VitreoRetinal Diseases

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Purpose: To evaluate applicants’ and programs’ experiences during the 2019 and 2020 fellowship application seasons. Methods: An anonymous survey of vitreoretinal surgery fellowship program directors (PDs) (n = 21) and applicants from the 2019 traditional (n = 24) and 2020 virtual (n = 17) match cycles (before and during COVID-19 pandemic, respectively) was conducted. The questions assessed demographics, interview experiences, and overall interview costs. Statistical significance was determined using unpaired and paired 2-sided t tests for applicants and PDs, respectively ( P < .05). Results: In 2020, 17.6% of applicants and 15.8% of PDs strongly agreed that they were able to convey themselves well during the interview compared with 50% and 73.7%, respectively, in 2019 ( P = .002 and P < .001, respectively). In 2020, 5.9% of applicants and 10.5% of PDs strongly agreed that they gained a good understanding of their counterpart compared with 41.7% and 47.4%, respectively, in 2019 ( P < .001 and P = .01, respectively). Regarding cost, 83.3% of applicants and 21.1% of programs spent more than $2000 in 2019, whereas 17.6% of applicants and no program did so in 2020. Conclusions: Although virtual interviews allowed fellowship recruitment to continue during the pandemic, both applicants and PDs expressed uncertainty regarding their abilities to portray themselves and gauge those with whom they interviewed. The benefits of virtual interviews, including decreased cost, increased efficiency, and convenience, must be weighed against these factors.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%