PERSPECTIVES
#MATCH2021: VIRTUAL RESIDENCY INTERVIEWS By Addie Burtle, MD; Stephanie Cortes, MD, MS, MA; Reba Gillis, MD, MBS; and Al’ai Alvarez, MD on behalf of the SAEM Clerkship Directors in Emergency Medicine Academy and Academy for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Medicine, and Equity and Inclusion Committee Residency recruitment requires significant time and financial investments for students. It took a pandemic to change our recruitment practices in medicine, forcing the first large-scale experiment on virtual interviewing feasibility. Further, the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and several others during the pandemic reignited national attention to the need for addressing structural racism and inequities, including within health care. In turn, diversity, equity, and inclusion became an even bigger priority for residency programs during the pandemic. According to the Coalition on Physician Accountability (CoPA), all interviews for the #Match2022 will be virtual. CoPA also recommends an “ongoing study on the impact and benefits of virtual interviewing as a permanent means of interviewing for residency.”
Several underrepresented trainees in medicine (UiM) who successfully Matched in EM in 2021 share their reflections on their virtual interview experience.
PRO: Cost Savings
Traveling for interviews costs the average student several thousands of dollars to cover transportation, hotels, and food in a new city. Data from the AAMC and others suggest that more than half of applicants limit their interviewing due to the financial burden. Students of lower socioeconomic status, and those from geographically isolated regions, are more likely affected. Unfortunately, these students may also be the least
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