Abstract 11790: Behavioral Interviewing for Graduate Medical Education Programs in the Covid/Virtual Interviewing Era

Abstract

Introduction: Coronavirus pandemic restrictions have affected social interactions, and the process of interviewing candidates for positions in graduate medical education (GME) programs is no exception. The threat of such restrictions is that candidates and programs may have less ability to achieve the best mutual fit. However, the pandemic also allows opportunities to rethink how we approach the interview process, and potentially optimize it. Behavioral interviewing (BI) techniques are one approach to both constructively address pandemic restrictions, and potentially improve recruitment to GME programs. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that behavioral interviewing could be integrated into a virtual interviewing process. Methods: We reviewed the behavioral interviewing process, and described how we integrated it into our virtual program recruitment of 91 candidates in 2020 and 2021. We elicited interviewer and interviewee feedback regarding the behavioral interviewing process, and analyzed discrepancies between ranks by traditional and behavioral interviewers. Results: Behavioral interviewing was viewed as highly positive or positive by 100% of interviewers and 93% of interviewees in 2021. The average discrepancy between standard and behavioral interview rank placement was 2.67 (SD 2); with 11 (8%) candidates exhibiting a significant rank divergence (> 5 rank orders). The best agreement between behavioral and traditional interviewer rank orders was in the top tertile of candidates. Conclusions: Behavioral interviewing can successfully be implemented in a virtual GME recruitment format, and provides opportunities to optimize program and candidate cohesion.