Virtual Interviews during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey of Applicants to Fellowships in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery

Bertille H.A. Gaigbe-Togbe, Kimia Menhaji, Ann D. Tran, Anthony H. Bui, Charles Ascher-Walsh, Lisa Dabney, Anne Hardart

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objectives The objective was to assess female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery (FPMRS) fellowship applicants' perspectives on the effectiveness of the virtual interview format for creating their rank lists. Methods This was an anonymous internet-based survey study of applicants to the FPMRS fellowships in the United States, conducted from July 21, 2020, to August 5, 2020. A 34-item questionnaire queried applicants on satisfaction with interviews, comfort with creating a rank list and time, and financial cost of interviews. Applicants were invited to complete the survey via standardized emails distributed via the REDCap secure database. Results Forty-two (56.7%) of 74 applicants completed the survey. The majority of respondents were somewhat satisfied or very satisfied (92.9%) with the virtual interview process and felt comfortable ranking the programs (83.3%). A total of 9.8% of respondents found virtual interviews somewhat or much better than in-person interviews with regards to being informative and helpful, whereas 61% found them to be about the same. A majority (75.6%) found virtual interviews somewhat or much less stressful compared with in-person interviews. The majority (97.5%) spent less than $2,000 during the application process compared with more than $4,000 (87.8%) that they had anticipated spending if the interviews were in person. Conclusions Our data revealed that FPMRS applicants overall had a positive experience with the virtual interview platform and felt comfortable creating a rank list of programs based on those interviews.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)e626-e629
JournalFemale Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery
Volume27
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - 2021

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • FPMRS fellowship
  • fellowship interviews
  • video interviews
  • virtual platforms

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