The Impact of Virtual Interviews on the Geographic Distribution of Ophthalmology Match Results in the 2020–2021 Cycle

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

Purpose  This article compares applicants' perceptions of and experiences with virtual and in-person interviews for surgical retina fellowship. Methods  A survey was distributed via email to all applicants of three vitreoretinal surgery fellowship programs for the 2021 to 2022 and 2022 to 2023 application cycles. Main Outcome Measures  Participants were surveyed regarding cost; burden of scheduling; number of applications and interviews completed; ability to gain a true feel of the program, location, and preceptor; and number of work and surgical days missed. Results  Of 151 applicants contacted, 36 completed the survey (23.8% response rate). Of the respondents, 25.0% attended only virtual interviews, 19.4% attended mostly virtual interviews, 30.6% attended mostly in-person interviews, and 25.0% attended half virtual and half in-person interviews. Average expenditure was significantly lower for applicants with mostly and completely virtual interviews compared with applicants with mostly in-person and half virtual, half in-person ( p  < 0.001). Applicants with mostly virtual interviews reported a lower ability to gain a true perception of the program and the program location ( p  = 0.003 and p  < 0.001, respectively). There was no difference in burden of scheduling, number of interviews completed, or number of work and surgical days missed. When applicants were asked what type of interview format they would prefer if they could repeat the cycle, those who interviewed mostly in-person largely chose in-person as their preference (72.7%), while participants who interviewed mostly or completely virtually were evenly split between in-person, virtual, and hybrid ( p  = 0.136). Conclusion  As fellowship programs and institutions decide whether they will return to in-person interviews or maintain a virtual interview format in the long term, they must weigh the lower cost of virtual interviews with the improved ability to gain a more accurate perception of the program and location allowed by in-person interviews, as well as potentially greater satisfaction with the in-person format.

Association of Virtual Interviews With Residency Application Geographic Diversity and Match

OBJECTIVE

We sought to assess whether the change from in-person to virtual interviews was associated with differences in applicant and match location geography.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective study of all U.S. applicants to a large pediatric residency. Distances from applicants to our residency program (applicant-to-program) and residency location (applicant-to-match) were compared across demographic subgroups and eras, defined as pre-COVID (2018-2020) and COVID (2021-2022).

RESULTS

Applicant-to-program distance (pre-COVID median 737 miles, IQR 265, 1254; COVID median 739 miles; IQR 268, 1284, P = .31) did not change across eras. While overall applicant-to-match distance (pre-COVID median 425 miles, IQR 88, 1142; COVID median 354 miles; IQR 80, 1084, P = .11) did not change, subgroup analysis revealed that applicant-to-match distance for those not participating in a couples match was farther during the pre-COVID era (430 vs 340 miles, P = .04).

CONCLUSIONS

A transition to virtual interviews was associated with shorter distance between applicants and residency location for those matching alone at a large, urban pediatric residency. While decisions about where to apply appeared unchanged, rank list decisions may have been impacted by virtual interviews for these applicants. Further study to describe geographic considerations in the virtual era are needed to inform advancement of larger workforce goals.

Geographic Trends in the Ophthalmology Residency Match: Influence of Program and Applicant Characteristics

Introduction The ophthalmology residency match remains competitive. Several prior studies have examined various factors that contribute to a successful match into an ophthalmology residency program; however, the role of geographic location in the ophthalmology residency match process is unclear. The purpose of our study was to evaluate geographic trends in the ophthalmology residency match and to determine whether geographic trends vary based on program level factors such as program rank or funding source and/or applicant factors such as year of training, gender, and medical degree earned. Specifically, we assessed associations with residents training at the residency program affiliated with their medical school and/or within the same geographic region as their medical school, using data obtained through publicly available sources and residency program surveys.

Methods We used the American Medical Association's Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database database to identify accredited ophthalmology residency programs. Residency program Web sites and email inquiries were used to collect demographic and geographic information for residents in the graduating classes of 2021 to 2023. Statistical analysis included χ2 testing and multivariate logistic regression.

Results In total, 1,378 residents were included from 110 ophthalmology residency programs and 218 medical schools. Residents who matched at the residency program affiliated with their medical school (18%) were evenly distributed among the Midwest, Northeast, South, and West regions (p = 0.2236). Residency programs in the West (31.7%) matched fewer regional medical students compared with programs in the South (61.2%), Midwest (57.4%), and Northeast (58.4%) (p < 0.0001). Attending a publicly funded medical school was associated with higher odds of matching into a regional residency program (odds ratio [OR], 1.45; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10–1.90; p = 0.0001) and attending a privately funded medical school was associated with higher odds of matching into a top-ranked residency program (OR, 1.53, 95% CI, 1.34–1.82; p = 0.0002).

Conclusions The majority of current ophthalmology residents trained at programs in the same geographic region as their medical schools, with nearly 20% of residents training at their medical school-affiliated program. Geographic differences in match results were observed based on resident gender, medical school characteristics, and residency program region.