Should Radiology Residency Interviews Remain Virtual? Results of a Multi-institutional Survey Inform the Debate

Virtual Interviews in Postgraduate Medical Education Recruitment: Is There a Future Post-Pandemic?

“…10,12,22,30,31 Despite these reports, other studies demonstrated that implementation of virtual interviews effectively met overall program and applicant goals without significant differences in interview outcomes, including candidate and program assessment, ranking, and matching. 1,11,20,21,33,41,42 Despite their many limitations, these studies suggest that virtual interviews were generally wellreceived, and both programs and applicants appear to favor a hybrid interview model for the future. 1,9,16,21,22 However, no studies have yet compared hybrid models to in-person-only or virtualonly models.…”

“…10 Applicants also expressed that virtual interviews had positive benefits to personal and family well-being due to the increased schedule flexibility and saved costs. 20 The cost and time savings along with scheduling flexibility that virtual interviews offer may contribute to a greater number of program applications by candidates and a greater number of interview invitations from programs. Surveys have shown that 40% to 76% of programs across specialties have reported increasing the number of invitations sent out since the virtual interview process.…”

“…Surveys have shown that 40% to 76% of programs across specialties have reported increasing the number of invitations sent out since the virtual interview process. 1,7,11,20,21 Similarly, many candidates also applied to more programs or were less likely to decline interview offers in the year of virtual interviews, compared to prior years, maximizing their chances of matching. 7,22,23 There were over 10% more applications received by programs in the year of virtual residency interviews, 24 although exact effects on trainee match rates are not yet clear.…”

“…27,28 Some studies show that the majority of applicants and program directors perceive that virtual interviews improve applicant equity. 20 While some studies demonstrate that virtual interviews can introduce more bias for underrepresented groups in medicine, and may make gauging program inclusivity difficult for applicants, 28,29 the impact of the transition to virtual interviews on diversity, equity, and inclusivity is not yet established. Multiple strategies have been proposed to mitigate bias in the virtual interview experience (BOX).…”

The Radiology Residency Application Arms Race—Is Preference Signaling the Answer?

“…The stated primary goal by the Association of American Medical Colleges for preference signaling is to provide a process for sharing genuine interest in a program that enhances accuracy and fairness [ 2 ]. I, and others, believe this will be an important part of the solution to address overapplication—preference signaling is supported by most radiology PDs surveyed about mitigating the overapplication phenomenon [ 3 ]. As a PD, I want certainty that our incoming trainees will be happy in their new job.…”