556 - Who Interviews Residency Applicants? A National Study of Pediatric Programs’ Practices
Saturday, April 29, 2023
3:30 PM – 6:00 PM ET
Poster Number: 556 Publication Number: 556.229
Arishna Patel, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, United States; Lahia Yemane, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, United States; Caroline Rassbach, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, United States
Resident Physician Stanford University School of Medicine Palo Alto, California, United States
Background: The applicant interview is heavily considered by residency programs when evaluating and ranking individuals for the Match. Traditionally, these interviews have primarily been conducted by faculty members; however, some programs have begun using non-faculty individuals to interview applicants. While there are studies that investigate the importance and optimization of resident selection interview methods to promote equity and holistic evaluation of applicants, no study has comprehensively investigated pediatric residency programs’ current interview practices, including the use of specific interviewer groups and their effects on the applicant interview.
Objective: To characterize the identity, prevalence, motivations behind, barriers to, and benefits of utilizing non-faculty interviewers during pediatric residency recruitment. Design/Methods: We developed and distributed a survey to associate program directors of all pediatric residency programs in the United States via the Association of Pediatric Program Directors. The survey queried programs regarding their use of non-faculty interviewers, professional backgrounds of these interviewers (i.e. residents, nurses, social workers), selection criteria and training for interviewers, program motivations for using these interviewer groups, and the benefits and challenges of using these groups. We analyzed the data using descriptive statistics. We analyzed responses to open-ended questions qualitatively for themes. Results: The response rate was 65% (125/193). Overall, 71% of programs reported using non-faculty interviewers, with the most common groups being chief residents (if not considered clinical faculty) (58%), residents (31%), and fellows (14%). Reported benefits of non-faculty interviewers included providing diverse perspectives in the evaluation of an applicant and increasing the number of interviewers. Some noted challenges were scheduling difficulties, assuring adequate training and preparation for interviewers, and uncertainty of applicant perceptions of interviewing with non-faculty members.
Conclusion(s): Many programs utilize non-faculty interviewers during pediatric residency recruitment, specifically chief residents, residents, and fellows. Programs cited a number of perceived benefits and challenges related to these interviewers, but overall felt that their inclusion positively impacted recruitment. The findings of this study can serve as a resource for program leadership that seek to evaluate and evolve their current recruitment practices.
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