D0622 - Gastroenterology Fellowship Virtual Interviews: Applicant and Faculty Perceptions on Virtual Interview Advantages and Barriers

George Khoudari, MD¹, Ahmed Eltelbany, MD, MPH², George Salem, MD³, Seifeldin Hakim, MD⁴, Shreya Narayanan, MD⁵, Ayokunle T. Abegunde, MD, MSc, MRCGP⁶, Sultan Mahmood, MD⁷, Simon Hong, MD⁸, Freeha Khan, MD⁹, Abhishek Bhurwal, MD¹⁰, Matthew Meriwether, MD¹¹, Nael Haddad, MD¹², Yasmin Alishahi, MD, FACG¹², Maged P. Ghali, MD¹³, William Tierney, MD³, Humberto Sifuentes, MD¹⁴, Andrew W. DuPont, MD¹⁵, Kenneth J. Vega, MD, FACG¹⁶, Miguel Regueiro, MD¹⁷, Mark C. Mattar, MD^18
1Georgetown University Hospital, Arlington, VA; ²Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH; ³OU Health, Edmond, OK; ⁴Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY; ⁵University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, FL; ⁶Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL; ⁷University of Buffalo, Buffalo, NY; ⁸NYU Langone, New York, NY; ⁹University of Louisville, Mason, OH; ¹⁰Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital- New Brunswick, New Brunswick, NJ; ¹¹Houston Methodist, Houston, TX; ¹²University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, AZ; ¹³University of Florida College of Medicine, Jacksonville, FL; ¹⁴Augusta University Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA; ¹⁵University of Texas Houston Health Sciences Center, Houston, TX; ¹⁶Augusta University Medical College of Georiga, Augusta, GA; ¹⁷Cleveland Clinic Main Campus, Cleveland, OH; ¹⁸MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual interviews for resident and fellowship applicants became the standard. However, studies evaluating the experience of virtual interviews format are lacking. Accordingly, we sought to survey both gastroenterology fellowship applicants and interviewing faculty members about their experiences with the virtual interview process.

Methods: Interviewees and faculty at 13 different gastroenterology fellowship programs at academic medical centers across the United States completed a post-interview survey. The online survey was conducted during the 2020 ERAS fellowship interview season via Google Forms. The survey responses were anonymously collected and reported.

Results: A total of 177 gastroenterology fellowship applicants and 83 faculty members completed the electronic surveys. Most participants reported a positive experience with 91% and 84% of applicants and faculty respectively, scoring at least 4 points on a 5-point scale. Eighty-eight percent and 85% of applicants and faculty respectively, reported that they had enough insight about the applicant or the fellowship program during the interview. Over 67% of applicants reported cost-savings of greater than $1,000 per interview. Thirty-six percent of applicants reported that they missed the personal interaction with the current gastroenterology fellows in the respective programs and the experience of physically touring the facility. Twenty-seven percent and 25% of applicants and faculty experienced technical difficulties during the interview process, respectively. Thirty-one percent and 22% of applicants and faculty would like for the virtual interviews to be the standard of future fellowship interviews, while 35% and 42% of applicants and faculty would consider it in the future, respectively. Figure 1 shows the ranking process for both applicants and faculty.

Discussion: Virtual interviews were perceived as effective and cost-saving by both gastroenterology fellowship applicants and faculty members. The virtual experience was widely accepted by most applicants and faculty, with high potential to become the standard of fellowship interview process in the future. However, a substantial portion experienced technical difficulty. Further improvements in technology are needed to optimize the process and increase the acceptance of the virtual interview experience.



Disclosures:


George Khoudari, MD¹, Ahmed Eltelbany, MD, MPH², George Salem, MD³, Seifeldin Hakim, MD⁴, Shreya Narayanan, MD⁵, Ayokunle T. Abegunde, MD, MSc, MRCGP⁶, Sultan Mahmood, MD⁷, Simon Hong, MD⁸, Freeha Khan, MD⁹, Abhishek Bhurwal, MD¹⁰, Matthew Meriwether, MD¹¹, Nael Haddad, MD¹², Yasmin Alishahi, MD, FACG¹², Maged P. Ghali, MD¹³, William Tierney, MD³, Humberto Sifuentes, MD¹⁴, Andrew W. DuPont, MD¹⁵, Kenneth J. Vega, MD, FACG¹⁶, Miguel Regueiro, MD¹⁷, Mark C. Mattar, MD¹⁸. D0622 - Gastroenterology Fellowship Virtual Interviews: Applicant and Faculty Perceptions on Virtual Interview Advantages and Barriers, ACG 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting Abstracts. Charlotte, NC: American College of Gastroenterology.