Neurosurgery Resident Interviews: The Prevalence and Impact of Inappropriate and Potentially Illegal Questions.

Abstract

The impact of workplace discrimination has gained recognition. Nearly two-thirds of all medical residency applicants reported being asked inappropriate or potentially illegal interview questions. The use of such questions during neurosurgery residency interviews has not yet been studied. To evaluate the prevalence of inappropriate or potentially illegal questions in residency interviews and the impact on applicants' rank lists. All 2018 to 2019 United States neurosurgery resident applicants were anonymously surveyed. The survey included 46 questions focused on demographics; if they were asked questions regarding rank list, age, gender, marital status, family planning, religion, sexual orientation, or disability and whether such questions affected their rank list formation. Of 265 surveyed United States applicants, 133 (50%) responded. Most respondents were male (78%), 24% were married, and 10% had children. During the formal interview, 94% were asked at least 1 inappropriate or potentially illegal question. About 78% reported being asked about marital status, 29% were asked about intent to have children. About 46% reported being counseled on their personal life, 30% were asked about their ethnic background, and 15% were asked about their religion. A total of 2 candidates reported questions about mental illness/disability, and 2 candidates reported being asked about sexual orientation. About 45% of applicants that were asked at least 1 of these questions ranked those programs lower. Nearly all (94%) neurosurgical residency applicants reported being asked at least 1 inappropriate or potentially illegal question during interviews. Our results indicate that inappropriate questions negatively affected program rankings.