key: cord-0836508-3lfp0yod
authors: Grauer, Jordan; Hakimi, Amir Aaron; Malekzadeh, Sonya
title: Optimizing the Virtual Otolaryngology Residency Information Sessions: A Survey of Applicants
date: 2021-03-26
journal: OTO Open
DOI: 10.1177/2473974x211001407
sha: f2ba9ae79d63ddbedc8fb151d3cafe58974042d2
doc_id: 836508
cord_uid: 3lfp0yod

The 2020-2021 otolaryngology residency application cycle has been immensely distorted by travel restrictions mandated in response to coronavirus disease 2019, limiting opportunities for applicants to meet and rotate with programs of interest. The purpose of this study was to evaluate otolaryngology applicants’ preferences toward the content and format of virtual residency information sessions. An anonymous online survey was developed to gauge applicants’ virtual exposure to otolaryngology programs and investigate their preferences during virtual sessions. Almost all respondents attended at least 1 virtual information session (89%). Respondents felt that the most important aspects of these sessions were meeting residents, learning about operative volume, and meeting faculty. The majority (85%) preferred these sessions last no longer than 2 hours. Participants preferred virtual sessions to include breakout sessions with participant video/microphone on. These findings have implications for future virtual resident recruitment strategies.

A ccording to preliminary 2021 data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), approximately 350 otolaryngology positions will be offered for 626 total applicants. 1 Applicants rely heavily on visiting rotations and travel during interviews to learn about programs. However, the 2020-2021 application cycle has been immensely distorted by restrictions mandated in response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), limiting opportunities for applicants to meet and rotate with programs.

Residency programs adapted swiftly to this change by initiating virtual residency information sessions through which they discuss their program's mission, interact with attendees, and address frequently asked questions. These sessions have varied between programs with respect to length, faculty/ resident attendance, attendee participation, and content. The purpose of this study was to gauge what otolaryngology applicants hope to gain from virtual information sessions and in turn guide future virtual recruitment efforts.

This study was granted exemption by the UC Irvine Institutional Review Board. An anonymous 18-question online survey was developed to assess applicants' experiences with otolaryngology programs' virtual information sessions (see Suppl. Figure 1 in the online version of the article). The survey was made available from July 24 to August 31, 2020, through the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) student member email list, posted on social media by Headmirror, a popular account for otolaryngology residency application information, and posted on Otomatch.com.

As of September 1, 2020, 62 participants completed this survey. Most respondents are primary applicants (97%), have a home program (79%), and plan to apply to otolaryngology in the 2021 match (85.5%). Most respondents attended at least 1 virtual information session (89%), with 48% attending over 5 events.

On a Likert scale from 1 (not at all important) to 5 (extremely important), participants felt the most important aspect of these sessions was meeting residents (4.82), learning about operative volume (4.15), meeting faculty (4.11), learning about program culture (4.06), learning about the surrounding area (3.90), learning about research requirements and opportunities (3.76) , and learning about fellowship/career placement (3.71). Nearly all respondents (98%) felt residents should attend these sessions, followed by the residency program director (97%), other faculty (65%), department chair (47%), and alumni (26%). Most participants (85%) preferred these sessions last no longer than 2 hours.

There was no clear consensus on group size preferences. Some participants (41%) preferred sessions limited to 11 to 100 attendees, 38% felt there should be no limit, and 21% preferred 10 or fewer applicants. Presentation format showed 2 popular options, with ''breakout sessions with participant video/microphone on'' representing 39% of responses and ''presentation about residency program followed by question and answer with participant video/microphone off'' representing 37% of responses.

As residency recruitment efforts transition to virtual media, it is important for residency programs to tailor information sessions toward the applicants. In the past, efforts have been made to ascertain applicant preferences in selecting a residency program, but our study is unique in that we focused specifically on virtual program information sessions. We found that applicants prioritize meeting residents and the program director, and they want to learn about operative experiences and program culture within a 2-hour timeframe. This is consistent with a previous single-institution survey by Phitayakorn et al 2 that found resident morale and depth and breadth of faculty to be among applicants' top 5 most important factors for residency selection. However, while Phitayakorn et al 2 found fellowship placement to be the most important residency program attribute, respondents in our study saw this to be least important to highlight during virtual information sessions. This may be because fellowship placement, along with information about the surrounding area and research requirements, is generally available on program websites. 3 There was no clear consensus regarding the preferred format of these information sessions. Some respondents preferred having their microphones and videos off, which may be to maintain anonymity. Alternatively, many participants preferred breakout sessions that would allow them to have a more personal interaction with faculty and residents. Only 2 respondents (3.2%) preferred a lecture-style format in which faculty teach otolaryngology-related content. This suggests that although of great importance, such lectures may be more appropriate in alternate settings.

This study is limited by the number of respondents. With 62 responses, our study reflects approximately 10% of predicted applicants. This is similar to a survey by Izreig et al, 4 which reflected approximately 14% of the applicant pool. The low participation in these studies, especially when compared to survey-based studies performed in prior years with response rates as high as 65%, may be a result of applicants' initial hesitancy to apply into otolaryngology during an application cycle with so much uncertainty. 5, 6 In addition, our survey was disseminated via 4 popular otolaryngology communication channels, including an AAO-HNS student member email list, Otomatch.com, and otolaryngologygeared social media. While our intention was to quickly crowdsource the survey and potentially reach more applicants, we did not collect identifiable information to verify each respondent's status as a medical student or otolaryngology applicant. Nevertheless, these means have been previously used to assess general trends among applicants. 4, 5 As with all survey-based research, this study is limited by potential bias. Inherent risks include capturing only those motivated to respond or a sample not representative of all applicants. However, this is partially mitigated by relatively clear consensus along some dimensions of our survey.

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the adaptability of otolaryngology residency programs. It is our hope that understanding applicants' priorities in virtual information sessions such as meeting residents and faculty, learning about operative volume, and limiting sessions to less than 2 hours helps guide future virtual recruitment endeavors.

Jordan Grauer, study design, data collection, data analysis, manuscript drafting, manuscript revision; Amir Aaron Hakimi, study design, data collection, data analysis, manuscript drafting, manuscript revision; Sonya Malekzadeh, study design, data collection, manuscript revision.

Association of American Medical Colleges. ERAS 2021 residency prelim data

Applicants' self-reported priorities in selecting a residency program

Evaluation of otolaryngology residency program websites

Otolaryngology match 2020-21: survey of prospective applicants in the setting of COVID-19

Competitiveness of otolaryngology residency applicants without a home program

Applicant perspectives on the otolaryngology residency application process

Competing interests: None.

Funding source: None.

Additional supporting information is available at http://journals.sa gepub.com/doi/suppl/10.1177/2473974X211001407