Internal medicine residents’ and program directors’ perception of virtual interviews during COVID-19: a national survey

摘要

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has imposed travel restrictions and physical distancing policies that make conducting traditional in-person interviews logistically difficult and potentially unsafe. As such, all Canadian Residency Matching Service (CaRMS) interviews for medicine subspecialty programs will be conducted in a virtual format for the first time this year. While there are possible benefits of virtual interviews such as reduced financial burden and scheduling conflicts, potential challenges for prospective residents include reduced networking opportunities, impaired ability to understand a program’s culture, inability to tour the facilities and city, and the possibility of technical issues degrading the interview experience.1 Virtual interviews introduce potential challenges for residency programs as well, including reduced informal interactions with residents to determine compatibility, and perhaps increased acceptance of interviews due to fewer scheduling barriers, making it difficult to discern genuine interest in a program.1