Changes in the Match: Results of an IR Applicant and Program Director Survey Regarding Virtual Interviews and Step 1 Pass/Fail

Monday, March 6, 2023

3:00 PM – 3:10 PM

Location: Phoenix Convention Center, 222AB

Presenting Author(s)

Monica M. Matsumoto, MD

Resident
University of Pennsylvania

Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose

Author/Co-author(s)

Daniel M. DePietro, MD

Resident
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
SS

Susan Shamimi-Noori, MD

Associate Professor
University of Pennsylvania
Jason C. Hoffmann, MD, FSIR

Interventional Radiologist
NYU Langone Health
TG

Terence P. Gade, MD PhD

Assistant Professor of Radiology
Penn Image-Guided Interventions (PIGI) Lab, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Shilpa N. Reddy, MD

Assistant Professor, IR
Division of Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Gregory J. Nadolski, MD

Attending Physician
Penn Image-Guided Interventions (PIGI) Lab, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Division of Interventional Radiology

Disclosure(s):

Monica M. Matsumoto, MD: No financial relationships to disclose

Daniel M. DePietro, MD: No financial relationships to disclose

Susan Shamimi-Noori, MD: Boston Scientific: Consultant (Ongoing); Sirtex Medical: Consultant (Ongoing)

Jason C. Hoffmann, MD, FSIR: Merit Medical Systems: Advisory Committee or Review Panel Member (Ongoing), Consultant (Ongoing); Varian Interventional Solutions: Advisory Committee or Review Panel Member (Ongoing), Consultant (Ongoing), Speaking and Teaching (Ongoing)

Terence P. Gade, MD PhD: Astra Zeneca: Advisory Committee or Review Panel Member (Terminated); Instylla, Inc.: Research Grant Recipient (Ongoing); Trisalus Life Sciences: Advisory Committee or Review Panel Member (Ongoing)

Shilpa N. Reddy, MD: No financial relationships to disclose

Purpose: To compare survey results of matched IR applicants and program directors (PDs) on the virtual residency interview process and the effects of Step 1 pass/fail changes that will start in the 2023 match cycle.

Materials and Methods: An electronic survey was distributed to all IR PDs and integrated IR applicants who matched in the 2022 cycle. Summary and descriptive statistics are reported; Likert-type responses are compared using two-sample t tests.

Results:

68 matched applicants (40%) and 47 PDs (52%) responded to the survey. 67% of applicants and 95% of PDs thought the virtual interviews resulted in over-applying/-interviewing. Both applicants and PDs said the three most positive factors associated with virtual compared to in-person interviews were: overall convenience, ability to apply to programs, and ability to interview at desired number of programs. The three most negatively-impacted factors were: ability to evaluate program culture, equipment, and geography. The most disparate score was in overall enjoyment of the interview process, with ranking 6^th among applicants and 7^th among PDs (P < 0.0001).

Regarding the implementation of USMLE Step 1 pass/fail, 63% of applicants and 45% of PDs think that the new system will be less equitable for applicants. 61% and 56% of applicants think the process will be more stressful and will overall hurt them, respectively. With the pass/fail system, both applicants and PDs thought the factors that will increase in importance the most are: USMLE Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) score and letters of recommendation. The most disparate perception of important factors were: research experiences (P = 0.0001) and number of publications/presentations (P = 0.0004), with applicants assigning greater importance compared to PDs. Currently 36% of PDs reported using a Step 1 score cutoff, of which 75% were ≥211.

Conclusion: While the virtual residency interview process provides tremendous convenience and cost savings, ongoing efforts are needed to mitigate over-applying/-interviewing and to better allow applicants to evaluate programs {1-3}. Both applicants and PDs expect greater importance of Step 2 CK score and letters of recommendation when Step 1 changes to a pass/fail system {4-5}, although these results suggest applicants place outsized emphasis on research and publications.