Otolaryngology Residency Interviewing Dates and Practices: What Should an Applicant Expect?

Abstract

Scheduling otolaryngology interviews may be a challenge for residency applicants due to overlapping interview dates. Our objective was to identify otolaryngology interview date patterns and scheduling conflicts over the past six application cycles. Retrospective review of otolaryngology online forums (Otomatch.com and Student Doctor Network). Online threads related to residency interview dates posted during the 2012 to 2013 through 2017 to 2018 interview seasons on Otomatch.com were reviewed. Program directors were contacted to complete any missing data. The χ- goodness-of-fit test and the χ2 test of independence was used to compare proportions. Analysis of variance was used to compare values across years. Data from an average of 98 programs (99%) per year were obtained. The majority of invitations arrived late October (49%), followed by early November (37.1%). Interviews occurred primarily in December (48.4%) and January (37.5%). Programs on average scheduled 2.47 (range, 0-4) interview dates. Most interviews fell on Fridays (28.7%) and Saturdays (22.7%) (P < .0001), with an increasing trend toward interviewing on consecutive days. There was substantial overlap in interview dates, with six dates alone accounting for an average of 31.3% of all interviews in a given interview cycle. The majority of otolaryngology interviews occur in December or January and fall on a Friday or Saturday. There is considerable overlap with the potential for scheduling conflicts. Our findings can help set expectations for applicants regarding interview invitations, as well as a strategy for scheduling interviews. NA Laryngoscope, 129:2280-2285, 2019.