Interview days: An evolving process
I have been involved with residency interviews for 14 years. It has been fascinating to see how changes in our process improved our candidates’ experience. Here’s a synopsis of the biggest and most beneficial changes we’ve made. Hopefully, there’s something here you can implement in your own program.
For the first 3-4 years, our program had five interview dates. They started with a light breakfast and ended with lunch. We saw 20-25 candidates each day. Candidates met with about eight faculty interviewers and each meeting would last about 10 minutes. Needless to say, this process soon became a logistical nightmare. We also realized this system did not meet our needs since it didn’t provide faculty members enough time to meet with the applicants.
Over the next five years, we made the following changes to the process.
First, we examined our standards. After studying our current residents’ scores on the Board examination, USMLE, and in service exams, we set more realistic standards. We also began looking more closely at candidates’ personal statements, focusing on why they applied to our program, their aspirations, what past experiences were important to them, and how those experiences helped mold them into the people they have become. As a result, we went from interviewing 100-125 candidates for 9 positions, to inviting and interviewing 60-70 candidates.
We also added another interview day. With six interview days, we only had 9-11 candidates each session. Each candidate has six interviews. All candidates interview with the program director, the associate program director, and the department chair. We have 4-6 faculty members for each session. Our interviews are now 15-20 minutes rather than about 10 minutes.
We also started hosting an informal get together for candidates and residents the evening before the formal interview date. We feel strongly that the residents are our best advocates, and putting them together with the candidates provides a good overview of the program. We serve finger foods that are easy for residents and candidates to eat and carry so they can easily mingle.
It is amazing to see the difference between candidates that attend the event and those that do not. Those who attend are much more relaxed during the formal interviews, and can focus on having a conversation and establishing a rapport with the interviewer. I believe this gives applicants and faculty interviews a better idea of how they’d fit in. The residents have input into the process, and their insight has made an impact on our ranking list.
The other big change to our interview day was the addition of a city tour. Feedback from post-Match surveys and from our incoming residents indicated that the tour was an important feature. It gives them a good overview of the city in which they will be potentially living in for the next 5 years of their lives. With the duty hour limitations, residents have an opportunity to develop other interests outside of medicine, and the location in which they live needs to be able to support that.
Since incorporating these changes, we have seen a definite difference in the quality of our candidates and the participation levels of faculty members. Our post interview and post Match Day surveys show that these changes made a positive impact, which resulted in a more favorable impression of the program and increased interest in training here. The true outcome, of course, is what happens on Match Day. The extra time and interest we have shown in the experience of the candidate has improved our Match Day results each year.
« Little touches go a long way during recruitment | Home | Introducing guest blogger Mike Pistoria, DO, FACP »
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Ruth Nawotniak
Ruth Nawotniak is cofounder and first president of the National Board for Certification of Training Administrators of Graduate Medical Education (TAGME).
Ruth has written 18 posts.
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