Temporary Adaptations or New (Virtual) Reality? Applying to Residency During a Pandemic.

Szpindel, Aliya; Rahman, Tasnia; Bouhadoun, Sarah; Lubarsky, Stuart; Moore, Fraser

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented challenges for medical students and residency programs participating in the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) matches. In-person interviews have been moved online, and visiting electives have been canceled. This has made it difficult for applicants to assess programs and for programs to get to know applicants. To overcome these challenges, programs have used virtual methods such as one-on-one meetings, virtual hospital tours, and social media. The effectiveness of these adaptations has been evaluated, with one-on-one virtual meetings and small group information sessions being found to be most valuable. Social media has also grown in importance, although applicants should be aware of potential biases. The lack of transparency in how programs rank applicants remains a criticism of the CaRMS selection process. The future of the residency application process is likely to involve virtual interviews and continued use of social media and virtual information sessions. Programs should prioritize personal interactions with applicants and provide a variety of information sources. Applicants should develop an actionable plan for evaluating programs and consider ways to present themselves effectively in a virtual format. Programs should also be transparent about the involvement of representatives in the selection process.

RESIDENTS (Medicine); MEDICAL students; ZOOM fatigue; NEUROLOGICAL disorders; ONLINE education

Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences, 2023, Vol 50, Issue 2, p163

0317-1671

Academic Journal

10.1017/cjn.2022.27