P4066 - GI Fellowship Applicants Experiences and Perceptions of Virtual Applicant-Fellow Sessions

Khushboo Gala, MBBS, June Tome, MD, Douglas Simonetto, MD
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

Introduction: Virtual interviews have become a new standard for gastroenterology (GI) fellowship recruitment, with most programs conducting a session for applicant and current fellow interaction. There is wide variability in the setting and format of these sessions, as well as a paucity of data on the influence of these sessions on applicants’ ranking of programs. We aim to describe applicants’ experiences and perceptions of virtual happy hours (i.e., applicant-fellow sessions) during the GI fellowship application process.

Methods: We surveyed applicants participating in the 2022 GI fellowship match cycle to understand their experience with virtual fellow-only happy hours and performed mixed methods analyses to interpret results.

Results: 68 applicants completed the survey (Table 1). 75% of respondents reported that at least half of the interviews they attended had conducted a virtual, fellow-only happy hour, and most respondents (87%) reported attending these sessions at least 75% of the time. Nearly half (44%) of respondents reported that these sessions definitively influenced/altered their ranking decisions with respect to programs. Most respondents preferred virtual happy hours be conducted prior to the interview day (58%) and favored breakout rooms with a smaller ratio of applicants to fellows (78%). When asked about potential strengths, most respondents chose cost savings and decreased utilization of coverage/vacation days (Fig. 1a). When asked about potential weaknesses, respondents chose difficulty in assessing the “feel” of a program and difficulty in speaking up (Fig. 1b). We performed a qualitative analysis and identified 3 major themes: positive perception of respondents towards virtual happy hours, preference for using break-out rooms on a virtual platform and challenges in assessing the culture of the program.

Discussion: Given the economic and environmental advantages of the virtual platform, professional societies continue to support interviews of this nature. Virtual fellow-only happy hours help provide an authentic representation of the program’s mission and when successfully implemented, can be leveraged to optimize recruitment, and attract qualified, diverse candidates.



Disclosures:


Khushboo Gala, MBBS, June Tome, MD, Douglas Simonetto, MD. P4066 - GI Fellowship Applicants Experiences and Perceptions of Virtual Applicant-Fellow Sessions, ACG 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting Abstracts. Vancouver, BC, Canada: American College of Gastroenterology.