34. Matching into Plastic Surgery Residency in the Virtual Era: Program Perspectives

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Background: Plastic surgery residency program perspectives are often overlooked in post-match surveys. This study aims to describe program experiences with the common interview release policy, virtual interviews, and the Plastic Surgery Common Application (PSCA) to better inform future interview policy modifications. Methods & Results: An anonymous survey was sent to all 2021 (group 1) and 2022 (group 2) integrated plastic surgery program directors regarding experience with the residency application and virtual interview process. Response rate was 30.9% for group 1 and 64.4% for group 2. There was no significant difference in average number of integrated positions offered per year (2.1 vs. 2.2, p=0.779), interview slots available (33.3 vs. 36.4, p=0.286), or invitations sent (36.5 vs. 40.3, p=0.228). There was a significant difference in utilization of the PSCA (34.6% vs. 61.8% PSCA and ERAS, 3.8% vs. 10.9% PSCA only), with a p-value of 0.012. However, most respondents in group 1 and group 2 agreed that PSCA should be continued, either as PSCA alone (47.8% vs. 39.0%) or PSCA with ERAS (26.1% vs. 29.3%). In both groups, program-sponsored meet-and-greets, sub-internships, and social media were identified as the three most effective outreach platforms. In group 2, programs ranked letter of recommendation content, letter of recommendation author, and completion of an away rotation as highest in terms of importance for evaluation of applicants. In group 2, programs were very satisfied with the common interview release policy (65.1% “strongly agree”) and time allotted to review applications prior to release of interviews (44.2% “strongly agree”). However, programs were ambivalent regarding likelihood of using virtual interviews or PSCA in future cycles. Conclusion: Understanding program perceptions following recent modifications to the plastic surgery application process is important to guide future policymaking. Programs report a positive experience with the common interview release policy and PSCA, yet virtual interviews remain controversial. Outside the formal interview, both virtual (social media and meet-and-greets) and in-person (sub-internships) outreach efforts are important to increase applicant engagement.