Maimonides Evening of Research
Performance Improvement Winner
Ridhima Ghei, MD
Impact of Specific Resident-Driven Virtual Recruitment Sessions on Residency Applications and Match Preferences
Objectives
In 2021, the Emergency Medicine (EM) residency program at MMC found that virtual webinars positively influenced applicants’ ranking decisions. In 2021-2022, we continued a virtual series with 10 events: 1) visiting clerkship information session, 2) program director, faculty, and resident panel, 3) diversity and inclusion committee panel, 4-9) resident-run interview socials, and 10) virtual open house. We adjusted for fewer webinars and more interactive sessions. Our goal was to determine if this hybrid model was well-received by applicants.
Methods
In April 2022, an anonymous REDCap survey was e-mailed to 264 MMC applicants ascertaining how each virtual session impacted their application to or ranking of the MMC program. Responses were recorded on a 5-point Likert scale (0 being not favorable to 5 being very favorable) and descriptive statistics evaluated application and rank preferences.
Results
69 applicants completed the survey. Applicants were more likely to apply after attending a webinar about our visiting clerkship (median 3.5; range 1 to 5), the program director, faculty and resident panel (median 4; range 1 to 5), or the diversity and inclusion committee panel (median 4; range 1 to 5). There was no statistically significant difference between applicants who already decided to apply prior to attending a webinar with applicants who were undecided. Applicants were more likely to rank MMC higher after attending a virtual social (median 4.5; 50 responses) or virtual open house (median 5; 33 responses; P>.05).
Conclusion And Implication
Attending virtual webinars, socials, and open house positively factored into the candidates’ decisions to apply to and rank MMC’s EM residency program. In 2020-2021, we mostly used Zoom’s webinar format, which limited dialogue. So in 2021-2022, we switched to more interactive standard zoom meetings with breakout rooms. Socials included virtual games and the open house offered applicants a refresher on our program to ask final questions and make informed rank list decisions. We conclude that each virtual session was a valuable residency recruitment tool.