The Online Cross-Country Tour: Evaluation of a Novel Online Series for Canadian Radiology Residency Programs and Future Implications for the Radiology CaRMS Process

Linehan, Victoria; Katlariwala, Prayash; Chahal, Baljot S.; Khatchikian, Aline D.; Supersad, Alanna; Dobson, Jessica L.

doi:10.1016/j.acra.2021.03.009

Cited by 3 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…To overcome the challenges created by limiting time in single-entry specialties and the suspension of visiting electives, numerous initiatives were undertaken to pivot toward fostering virtual connections between applicants and programs. 1,2,[6][7][8][9][10] This is the underpinning for the start of the CUSIG as a means to connect students to different virtual events in urology with the hope that having one primary source of communication would enable more participation, connection, and benefit for students and Canadian urology programs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…6,7 Student interest groups have also leveraged this increased online presence to build national medical student specialty interest groups in ophthalmology, neurosurgery, and radiology. [8][9][10] These student-led nationwide interest groups have been found to foster a sense of community among medical students enabling them to connect with coapplicants and residency programs. [5][6][7] For these reasons, the Canadian Urology Student Interest Group (CUSIG) was created to serve as a national hub for Canadian medical students interested in urology.…”

Section: Key Messagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Introducing the Canadian Urology Student Interest Group (CUSIG): Initial experience from a national webinar with recently matched Canadian urology residents for medical students

Bouhadana

Lima²,

Nguyen³

et al. 2023

CUAJ

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DISCUSSIONTo overcome the challenges created by limiting time in single-entry specialties and the suspension of visiting electives, numerous initiatives were undertaken to pivot toward fostering virtual connections between applicants and programs. 1,2,[6][7][8][9][10] This is the underpinning for the start of the CUSIG as a means to connect students to different virtual events in urology with the hope that having one primary source of communication would enable more participation, connection, and benefit for students and Canadian urology programs.National Canadian specialty interest groups are a novel concept. In the last two years, many initiatives were founded and launched by Canadian groups in ophthalmology (COSIG) and neurosurgery (CAMSIGN) that aim to unite medical students interested in particular subspecialties. 5,9 COSIG and CAMSIGN have reimagined the traditional local subspecialty interest group by providing robust online platforms to promote education, research, advocacy, and mentorship in neurosurgery and ophthalmology, respectively. In addition, they have organized dozens of successful events ranging from educational topics (i.e. neuroanatomy sessions, annual meetings, and the Virtual Introductory Summer Course in Ophthalmology) to diversity training (with CAMSIGN's Women in Neurosurgery series and COSIG's Canadian Ophthalmology Mentorship Program). 8,9 These initiatives have been shown to benefit students by providing a greater sense of connection through events and programs. 6 While subcommittees of the Canadian Urology Association (CUA) provide high-quality undergraduate medical education curriculum in urology, organize national conferences wherein medical students can participate, and advocate for equity diversity and inclusivity within urology, the success of COSIG and CAMSIGN highlight the value in trainee-led initiatives for undergraduate trainees. In collaboration with existing groups such as the Canadian Undergraduate Urology Committee of the CUA (CanUUC), CUSIG hopes to augment and advance these initiatives at the trainee level. Future initiatives include Canada-wide mentorship programs for trainees similar to the framework designed by COSIG and CAMSIGN. 9,11 To ensure that CUSIG can support students in ways that will assist the navigation of their pathway towards a career in urology, the first event to launch our network shared matched urology residents' knowledge with medical students. We leveraged this event to collect data on the current knowledge base of the medical students interested in urology as a career. Although the implications of this study are limited by the small number of respondents (n=16), the participants all support the creation of CUSIG and highlight areas for future initiatives such as urology mentorship, education, and increasing knowledge on the CaRMS process. It also highlighted that students feel under-supported regarding their urology knowledge and training at the medical school level, which is something CUSIG can advocate for. This study is limited by the number ...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Key Messagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Introducing the Canadian Urology Student Interest Group (CUSIG): Initial experience from a national webinar with recently matched Canadian urology residents for medical students

Bouhadana

Lima²,

Nguyen³

et al. 2023

CUAJ

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“…However, with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 CaRMS selection process was forced to become virtual, and a paradigm shift for resident selection in Canada began. 6 The present study provides both applicants and program directors participating in future iterations of the virtual residency selection process with the perspectives of successful applicants and PDs from the 2021 match, as well as feedback and advice for the improvement of the experience for both applicants and PDs. In addition to the fundamental benefits of curbing COVID-19 spread, the present study demonstrates that there exist several advantages to a virtual format in surgical resident selection.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Successful Applicant and Program Director Perspectives on the Virtual Residency Selection Process for Canadian Surgical Subspecialties

et al. 2022

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Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic imparted an important shift in strategies postgraduate surgical programs use to recruit, interact with, and select medical students applying through the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS). With this unprecedented shift toward virtual applicant selection, this study sought to explore and analyze perspectives of the first cohort of program directors (PDs) and applicants who participated in this process. Methods: A cross-sectional survey study was designed using Google Forms for both PDs and applicants participating in the 2021 CaRMS surgical subspecialty selection process. Questions pertained to format and content of virtual engagement methods, the interview itself, as well as advice for future applicants. Results: Thirty-five PDs and 40 successful applicants (n = 75) participated in the study. Cost reduction was the most commonly reported benefit of online interviewing by PDs (85%), followed by efficiency (71%), enhanced resource management (49%), and ability to conduct more interviews (23%). Strong letters of reference (80%) and interview performance (74%) remained the most significant factors in virtual applicant selection. Attendance to virtual recruitment events did not increase the likelihood of offering interviews (n = 24, 69% of PDs), although the ability to perform in-person electives held tremendous value. Most applicants (90%) reported on virtual information sessions as the best method for learning about programs; work culture and environment were topics most valued as discussion points (90%). Successful applicants provided an average confidence of 76% regarding their suitability with their matched programs. Seventy-three percent of applicants (n = 29) had either a preference for virtual interviews or were equivocal, while 51.4% of PDs (n = 18) preferred interviews to be conducted virtually for future cohorts. Conclusion: Trainees are entering residency with confidence following a virtual selection process, and PDs feel confident in their selections. Although no clear consensus exists regarding preference for virtual or in-person interviews, several advantages for virtual resident selection exist. The influence of an in-person elective was found difficult to replace, regardless of interview format. The importance of applicant engagement with programs prior to interviews is highlighted and discussed with recommendations provided for best practices.

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“…To circumvent difficulties in learning about programs for future applicants, neurology programs may consider alternative ways to distribute program informationfor example, the Canadian Association of Radiologists put forth an online series for medical students to learn about programs outside of their home institution, which was well received by most attendees. 8 Medical students could also aim to optimize the time provided during their interviews to ask more in-depth questions. A commentary by Canadian neurology program stakeholders from Western University, Mirian et al suggested several important topics that medical students should inquire about in order to aid with evaluating programs.…”

Section: Interview Period Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resident Match During the COVID Pandemic: How Have Neurology Programs Adapted? – A Survey

Niznick

Lun

Gotfrit

et al. 2022

Can. J. Neurol. Sci.

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Background: We aimed to evaluate the perceived effectiveness of interventions implemented by Canadian neurology residency programs for the 2020–2021 iteration of the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS). Methods: A cross-sectional survey was distributed to Canadian neurology residency programs and final-year Canadian medical students who applied to at least one neurology program during the 2020–2021 match cycle. The surveys evaluated pre-interview and interview period interventions implemented by Canadian neurology residency programs and accessed by medical students. Results: Thirty-five medical students and 13 out of 15 institutions in Canada with neurology residency programs responded to the survey. Multiple adaptations were implemented, including social media advertisement, web-based platforms, pre-interview information sessions, and teaching sessions, with all surveyed programs implementing at least two virtual interventions. We found that all interventions were perceived as adequate by a majority (>60%) of medical students, with pre-interview period virtual information sessions perceived as effective by the largest proportion of respondents. All Canadian neurology residency programs held virtual interviews for the 2020–2021 cycle, and most programs utilized the same interview structure as prior years. There was discordance between residency program stakeholders and medical students on the most helpful interview period modality. Medical students found the hospital tours and information sessions most valuable, whereas program stakeholders perceived the virtual socials and interviews as most helpful. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to innovative adaptations implemented by Canadian neurology residency programs, which were seen as effective by both medical students and program stakeholders.

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The Online Cross-Country Tour: Evaluation of a Novel Online Series for Canadian Radiology Residency Programs and Future Implications for the Radiology CaRMS Process

Cited by 3 publications

References 8 publications

Introducing the Canadian Urology Student Interest Group (CUSIG): Initial experience from a national webinar with recently matched Canadian urology residents for medical students

Introducing the Canadian Urology Student Interest Group (CUSIG): Initial experience from a national webinar with recently matched Canadian urology residents for medical students

Successful Applicant and Program Director Perspectives on the Virtual Residency Selection Process for Canadian Surgical Subspecialties

Resident Match During the COVID Pandemic: How Have Neurology Programs Adapted? – A Survey

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