Virtual Interviews: A Cross-Sectional Quality Improvement Project Aimed to Improve the Interview Process in an Internal Medicine Residency Program

Background: The residency interview is a crucial step that helps the program identify potential new trainees while the trainees find out more about the program. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it became essential to hold interviews virtually. Objective: Here, we conducted a questionnaire-based study to identify areas of improvement in the virtual interview process in our program. Methods: The study was conducted among the residency interview applicants of the 2022 match cycle. A questionnaire was sent via email to all applicants who were invited to our residency program for an interview. Out of the 600 applicants who were interviewed in our program, 230 applicants answered the survey, an 11-point questionnaire pertaining to the various aspects of the interview process. Results: A virtual interview with an option of in-person is the most favored answer among the different groups, i.e., American Medical Graduates (AMGs), International Medical Graduates (IMGs) without need for a visa, and IMGs with a need for a visa, respectively, were, 37.5%, 42.8%, and 38.65%, respectively. An updated website with all required information was a top resource used by 95%, 84.5%, and 89.6% of the different groups of candidates. American medical graduates (32.50%) place high importance on resident interaction, while international medical graduates want the programs to focus on their website and provide more information about all aspects of the program during the virtual interview. Conclusions: In the post-COVID-19 era, Internal Medicine programs will need to improve several aspects of virtual interviews while assessing what is important to candidates.