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Late-Breaking Scientific Oral Presentations

Professional and Personal Development

Session: Late-Breaking Scientific Orals: The Otolaryngology Community and Systems

Insights From Otolaryngology Applicants: Comparing In-Person and Virtual Residency Interviews

Monday, September 30, 2024
9:30 AM – 9:36 AM EDT
Location: MBCC, 222
Disclosure(s):
Soroush Farsi:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Kacee Daniels, MD:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Introduction: The main objective of this paper is to compare the otolaryngology residency applicants’ perspectives of the in-person interviews (IPI) versus virtual interviews (VIs) including the benefits, values and and preferences between the two interview formats.

Methods: An anonymous electronic survey conducted between March and April 2024 gathered insights on applicant experiences, preferences, and factors influencing program ranking in both IPI and VI settings. This survey, administered through the OtoMatch platform, included application and interview statistics, with a total of 84 participants. Directed qualitative content analysis was employed to identify emerging themes from the responses.

Results: The survey, completed by 84 applicants, revealed a predominantly White (55%) and male (49.4%) respondent pool, mostly from allopathic medical schools (98.8%) in the US, with the Northeast (38.8%) and Midwest (26.3%) being primary regions. Nearly all were first-time applicants (96.3%), applying to an average of 57.9 ± 23.6 programs and receiving 15.2 ± 5.7 interviews, split almost evenly between in-person and virtual (7.7 ± 3.7 vs 7.2 ± 4.2). In-person interviews were significantly favored, scoring higher (4.2 vs 8.8, p < 0.001) and aiding better understanding of lifestyle and program location (4.8 vs 8.4, p < 0.001). They also scored higher for grasping program culture and interaction with residents/faculty (p < 0.001). More applicants (53.5%) reported significantly improved impressions after in-person interviews, with cost being the main drawback mentioned.

Conclusions: Applicants expressed dissatisfaction when interviewing in a virtual setting. In-person interviews were more likely to result in placing the program higher on their ranking list and providing a better interview experience compared to VIs. The only drawback noted for online interviews was the associated cost.

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Soroush Farsi

    Medical Student
    Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
    El Paso, Texas, United States

    Disclosure(s):

    faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

    Resources

    • Co-Author(s)

  • Peter Eckard, BS

    Medical Student
    Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
    Little Rock, Arkansas, United States

    Disclosure information not submitted.

  • SB

    Sydney Blevins, BS

    University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences,, United States

    Disclosure information not submitted.

  • Kacee Daniels, MD

    Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, United States

    Disclosure(s):

    faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

  • SR

    Samuel A. Reyes, MD, PhD

    Clinical Assistant Professor
    State University of New York at Buffalo
    Buffalo, NY, United States

    Disclosure information not submitted.

    • Senior Author(s)

  • DK

    Deanne L. King, MD, PhD

    Associate Professor
    Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
    Little Rock, Arkansas, United States

    Disclosure information not submitted.