COVID-19, Virtual Interviews, and the Selection Quandary: How a Program’s Digital Footprint Influences the Plastic Surgery Match

Singh, Aspinder; Haddad, Anthony; Krupp, James

doi:10.1097/prs.0000000000007723

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…[17][18][19]33 The COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a total disruption of the traditional application process, likely encouraged applicants to apply more broadly than before in attempt to increase exposure with the absence of in-person visiting rotations and interviews. [34][35][36][37] These various collective forces have created a current state of applying to integrated plastic surgery that is unstable. Regulation of the application process may be required either through implementation of secondary applications or restriction of the number of applications each applicant can submit.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Modern Integrated Plastic Surgery Applicant Pays 150% More Than Their Counterparts Four Years Ago

Singh,

Kovac,

Boyd

et al. 2023

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery - Global Open

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Background: Integrated plastic surgery residency positions are among the most difficult to obtain. We examine trends in the number of applicants, applications per applicant, and cost over the past five match cycles. Methods: In total, 2166 applicants to integrated plastic surgery programs were included. The American Association of Medical Colleges and Electronic Residency Application Service databases were examined to determine applicant trends for the years 2017 to 2021. Results: In 2017, there were 564 applicants for integrated plastic surgery residency positions, and in 2021, there were 416 (26% decrease). Across this same time period, the number of applications per applicant nearly doubled (97%) from 30 in 2017 to 59 in 2021, resulting in a 45% increase in the total number of applications. The largest increase in applications per applicant was seen between 2018 and 2019, a 70% increase. From 2017 to 2021, a 10% increase in the number of female applicants and a 43% decrease in the number of male applicants was observed. Cost of applications per applicant increased by 146%, from $514 in 2017 to $1265 in 2021. Total application costs in 2021 were $526,323, an 81% increase from 2017. The future value of these expenditures equals an economic burden of $801,855, assuming a 10-year term student loan at a conservative 4.3% interest rate. Conclusions: Despite substantial decreases in the number of applicants, the number of applications and resulting cost of applications have increased by large margins since 2017. This is representative of the increasingly competitive plastic surgery application process.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Modern Integrated Plastic Surgery Applicant Pays 150% More Than Their Counterparts Four Years Ago

Singh,

Kovac,

Boyd

et al. 2023

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery - Global Open

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“…Programs should focus their social media content on the clinical experience and day-to-day life of residents, with less priority placed on topics of research and educational content. Singh et al 16 provide a list of common interview questions and how programs can address these questions via social media.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Virtual Interview Experience: Advantages, Disadvantages, and Trends in Applicant Behavior

Steele

Prabhu

Layton

et al. 2022

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery - Global Open

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Introduction: Residency programs and applicants were forced to hold virtual interviews during the 2020–2021 application cycle. Inability to evaluate a program and/or applicant in person has intangible drawbacks. However, there are obvious advantages: cost, convenience, and comfort. Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? How have applicant behaviors changed to learn about programs in a virtual-only interview process? Methods: A survey was distributed to 302 applicants to a single plastic surgery residency program during the 2020 application cycle. Demographics, social media presence and utilization, and experience with the virtual application and interview process were analyzed. A 2018 survey from our institution was compared with a subset of questions for longitudinal analysis. Results: Seventy-six respondents (25.2%) completed the survey. Most applicants (88.2%) spent less than $1000 during the interview and application cycle. Over half (56.6%) did not receive letters of recommendation from outside their home program. A significant minority (27.6%) of applicants attended more than one interview in a single day. Compared to 2018, applicants in 2021 were significantly more likely to access alternative digital resources (forums/discussion boards, social media, and podcasts) when learning about programs. Average number of interviews remains in the range of pre-COVID studies, but the percentage of interviews attended increased. Conclusions: Applicants spent substantially less money on interviews and relied on alternative digital sources to learn about residency programs. This study objectively quantifies the advantages of virtual interviews. Disadvantages include inability to assess “fit” and lack of nonverbal communication.

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“…W e thank Dr. Singh and colleagues for their informative Viewpoint article on how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the 2020/2021 independent plastic surgery residency application. 1 Understanding how a program's social media influence applicant perception is more important now than ever. We represent current and recent applicants to integrated plastic surgery residency programs and have observed similar circumstances and responses by such programs.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%