Evaluation of Virtual Vitreoretinal Surgery Fellowship Interview and Match Experience

Abstract

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.

Reimagining the Rheumatology Fellowship Interview: Using Participatory Design‐Thinking Process to Create a More Applicant‐Centered Experience

“…More specifically, multiple surveys have shown that fellowship applicants are interested in hybridized approaches to interviewing in order to better understand program culture (17,18). Concerns about communicability and security, which we found in the Empathize and Define phases, are echoed in another survey of vitreoretinal surgery fellowship applicants who expressed similar concerns (19). Another survey, among hand surgery fellowship applicants, showed how fellow applicants prioritize time with current fellows, another key finding of our investigation (20).…”

Applicant Perceptions of In-Person versus Virtual Interview Format for Surgical Retina Fellowship

“… 7 Another study of retina fellowship applicants by Gill and colleagues compared in-person and virtual experiences; however, this comparison was across years, with in-person interviews prior to the AUPO mandate and virtual after. 2 This year-to-year comparison may leave room for confounding factors such as recall bias and inter-year variability in competitiveness of the match (based on variable number of applicants and positions) that may affect the level of anxiety or number of applications and interviews completed, as well as annual inflation and variation in costs between years. Importantly, interviewing participants who experienced both in-person and virtual interviews in close juxtaposition within the same application cycle allowed the opportunity to ask which type of interview format they preferred or would select if given the choice.…”

“…Across various medical specialties, there has been robust debate between those favoring the return to in-person interviews and those wishing to continue the interview process virtually. While some cite decreased cost and increased flexibility in favor of virtual interviews, 1 2 3 4 there also remain concerns that applicants cannot experience intangible aspects of the program and that there is an increased opportunity for misrepresentation, whether intentional or not, on the part of the program, applicants, or both. 2 5 6 Retina fellowship programs encompass one subset of fellowship applicants that have been surveyed.…”

“…While some cite decreased cost and increased flexibility in favor of virtual interviews, 1 2 3 4 there also remain concerns that applicants cannot experience intangible aspects of the program and that there is an increased opportunity for misrepresentation, whether intentional or not, on the part of the program, applicants, or both. 2 5 6 Retina fellowship programs encompass one subset of fellowship applicants that have been surveyed. Patel et al studied the perceptions of virtual interviewees shortly after the AUPO mandate and reported similar findings, including reduced cost, ability to attend more interviews, and overall high satisfaction but limited exposure to the program culture.…”

“… 7 Another survey of a cohort of virtual retina fellowship interviewees additionally reported increased difficulty representing themselves over a virtual platform, compared with the same survey of in-person applicants from the year prior to the mandate. 2 …”