In this segment, we will discuss the interview process and some issues and techniques related to that. The interview day is an opportunity for programs and applicants to get a better sense of the potential fit and compatibility between them. In the ideal situation, it should not be used to rehash data that is already available to the program through the ERAS application. It is a high stress event for many applicants as they make an effort to present themselves as best they can on that day. From a program perspective, it is very important to keep the eyes on the prize. It is important to craft the interview day to achieve the main goal of the interview process. That goal being to ascertain the likelihood of a good fit between the program and the applicant. Therefore, the program should try to ascertain how a candidate would fit the program, while at the same time, providing the candidate with the information needed so that they can achieve the same goal for themselves. Ideally, this will not be a repetition of information that is found on the program website or on the candidate's ERAS application, but gets to additive information that can be best acquired on the interview day. There are several interview types available. We will review two of them here. One of them is the traditional unstructured interview type, while the other one is structured interview, otherwise known as behavioral interview. In the traditional unstructured interview, the interviewer asks standard questions. Other than training regarding illegal questions by the program director, each interviewer uses their own technique and asks questions without directions from the program. Examples of frequently asked questions include, why did you choose cardiovascular medicine as a specialty? What are your future plans? Are you planning to go into academic medicine or into practice and tell me about your research? A second approach that is taken by some is the structured interview. Again, sometimes known as a behavioral interview. This takes the core competencies within the cardiovascular care system and asks questions designed to explore past performance in these areas. Examples of this would be, tell me about a time you worked effectively under pressure, or tell me about a time you made a mistake and had to tell a resident or an attending, or tell me about a time you've had a difficult decision you've made in the last year. There are other types of structured used in interviews. Explicit written description of the desired traits of an applicant or a resident, standardized questions to every applicant that are come up in advance of the interview day. Provision of behavior-specific anchors for rating scales for interviewers and using a scoring rubric to improve inter-rater and intra-rater scoring. The use of multiple observers rather than a single interviewer. Training of interviewers in a format in scoring and including unethical and illegal question rules, and blinding of the interviewer to the cognitive application data to minimize bias. There is no one right interview structure for programs, but rather programs choose what works best for them. One baseline requirement is that the program director is responsible that all interviewers are familiar with the NRMP rules and follow them. As for communication tips, again, be sure to be aware of the NRMP communication code of conduct. The program director is responsible for the behavior and questions asked by all faculty, therefore, it is important to educate all faculty to the communication code of conduct. Some communication don'ts, respect an applicant's right to privacy and confidentiality. Programs and faculty shall not ask an applicant to disclose the name, specialties, geographic location, or other identifying information about the programs to which the applicant has or may apply. Refrain from asking illegal or coercive questions. No questions regarding age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, family status shall be asked, and to ensure that the communication with the applicants remain focused on the applicant's goodness of fit within their program. Some communication do's. Programs may express an interest in a candidate. Programs can tell an applicant that they believe that the applicant may be a good fit and suggest ways in which the applicant would fit well into the program and that the program has what the applicant needs in order to succeed. These would be considered positive methods of recruitment. The NRMP aims for honest communication between applicants and program staff, and that is essential to successful matching process, and the NRMP aims for a fair and unpressured process. Some other don'ts from the NRMP would be requiring a second visit. This puts unnecessary pressure both financial and otherwise on the applicant and therefore is not allowed. Post-interview communication remains a great challenge for programs. It is unclear to many program directors what is considered appropriate and what is considered inappropriate. Some guidelines that may help are that the same rules as mentioned before apply. The rules for the interview day apply after the interview day in any communication the program directors have with applicants. Programs may not require nor solicit post-interview communication from the applicants. If the applicants choose to do so of their own volition, that is acceptable, but it cannot be a requirement. Honest communication about a program's interest in a candidate is allowed, and asking the candidate for information about their preferences is not allowed. In summary, the interview day can take many forms. Unstructured interviews are likely the most common, but there is an interest in structured interviews as well, and a blended approach is certainly reasonable. It is the program director's duty to educate their faculty on appropriate communication with applicants, and it is important to always remember that the goal of the interview day should be to ascertain the likelihood of a good fit between the program and the applicant, and the program interview day should be crafted in such a way as to achieve this for both the program and for the applicant, so that they enter the match able to make the best decision possible. These are the resources that are available. Thank you.

interview process

medical programs

fit assessment

structured interviews

communication tips