Interview Day Environment May Influence Applicant Selection of Emergency Medicine Residency Programs

INTRODUCTION: The structure of the interview day affects applicant interactions with faculty and residents, which can influence the applicant’s rank list decision. We aimed to determine if there was a difference in matched residents between those interviewing on a day on which didactics were held and had increased resident and faculty presence (didactic day) versus an interview day with less availability for applicant interactions with residents and faculty (non-didactic day). METHODS: This was a retrospective study reviewing interview dates of matched residents from 2009–2015. RESULTS: Forty-two (61.8%) matched residents interviewed on a didactic day with increased faculty and resident presence versus 26 (38.2%) on a non-didactic interview day with less availability for applicant interactions (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: There is an association between interviewing on a didactic day with increased faculty and resident presence and matching in our program.