Neurosurgical residency adaptations for the residency application cycle amid the COVID-19 pandemic: Acute on chronic sequelae

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed medical education, including the upcoming residency application cycle. External rotations have been restricted, but virtual opportunities for applicants have not yet been assessed. OBJECTIVE(S): To describe how neurosurgical residency programs are adapting to the 2021 application cycle through augmented social media usage and establishment of virtual sub-I’s and open houses. METHODS: One hundred fifteen separate programs were identified on ERAS. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, residency websites, and the Visiting Student Application Service (VSAS) were reviewed for virtual open house and sub-I opportunities. Professional neurosurgery society websites were also reviewed. All data is updated as of February 14 th, 2021. RESULTS: Eighty-eight (77%) programs had some social media presence. Fourty-three (30%) departmental accounts were created in 2020. Twenty-four (57%) of the residency program accounts were created in 2020. Programs offered 35 (18%) open house opportunities on Twitter, 19 (17%) on Facebook, and 23 (20%) on Instagram. Nineteen (17%) virtual sub-I opportunities were on Twitter, 9 (8%) on Facebook, and 10 (9%) on Instagram. Virtual opportunities were updated on 13 (12%) residency websites. The National Neurosurgery MedEd website had the most website listings of virtual opportunities with 34 (30%) programs listing open houses and 18 (16%) programs listing virtual sub-I’s. No program specific virtual opportunities were found on the AANS or CNS websites. VSAS identified only 4 (4%) virtual sub-internships. CONCLUSION: Many neurosurgical residency programs increased their virtual presence amid the COVID-19 pandemic. More programs could utilize these platforms to mitigate applicant restriction in upcoming neurosurgery residency application cycles.