The effectiveness of using video communication as an alternative to face-to-face interviews in the fellowship application process

BACKGROUND: The interview is an integral component of the application process for graduate medical education programs It allows for the evaluation of the applicants' communication and interpersonal skills, as well as their understanding of professional behavior Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, many medical fellowships have interviewed their candidates via face-to-face processes As a result of the necessity to incorporate contact-free interactions, many programs have shifted their interview process to a video communication approach with the use of platforms such as Zoom or Skype The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness and barriers of using Zoom video communication for the interview process of a geriatric medicine fellowship program METHODS: This is a descriptive survey study addressing the experiences during the USC Geriatric Fellowship application process Electronic or paper surveys were directed to five USC geriatric medicine faculty, one geriatric fellow, and thirty fellowship applicants Each survey consisted of six questions rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 'strongly disagree' to 'strongly agree' The survey addressed aspects including overall experience, the effectiveness of the platform, logistical efficiency, and whether the participants would recommend the option of video interviews in future application cycles The data was processed anonymously to minimize any possible bias RESULTS: There was a total of 23 surveys that were returned Overall, participants felt that their zoom experience was positive with a mean score of 4 6 and a median score of 5 on the 5-point Likert scale Similarly, participants on average recommended offering the option of video interviews in future application seasons with a mean score of 4 6 and a median of 5 CONCLUSIONS: In 2020, the world was impacted with the COVID-19 pandemic, and as a result, graduate medical education programs were forced to adjust their application processes The transition to allow for video interviews has created a modern opportunity that may result in an overall improvement in the application process by addressing classic barriers such as financial and time requirements This is especially important in geriatric medicine which is a budding field which requires strong interpersonal skills