588 - Structured Focused Interview Formats for Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Virtual Applicant Recruitment

Poster Number: 588
Publication Number: 588.117

Aaron M. Germain, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, Tampa, FL, United States; Joana Machry, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, Saint Petersburg, FL, United States

Background: Interviews for graduate medical training may be challenging for both the applicant and the interviewer. The AAMC notes “making modest increases in structure can have a positive effect on the reliability and validity of interview results while maintaining positive reactions from applicants” (AAMC, 2016).

Objective: Assess applicant and faculty interviewer responses to structured focused interview formats for virtual recruitment for a Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine (NPM) Fellowship training program.

Design/Methods: Structured focused interview formats were utilized for a NPM training program during 2021 virtual recruitment. Faculty received interview training to include awareness of implicit bias, and principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Interviewers were assigned one of five structured formats: Clinical Interests and Experience, Academic Performance and Potential, Research Interests and Experience, Leadership Experience and Potential, Professionalism and Character. Formats included behavioral, situational, achievement, and intention questions. Applicants and faculty interviewers voluntarily completed anonymous post-interview Qualtrics survey assessments.

Results: 160 interviews using structured focused formats were completed for 32 applicants (Figure 1). 18 applicants (50%) and 8 faculty (80%) completed assessments. The importance of parameters of fellowship training programs were rated similarly (Table 1). 72% of applicants were aware of the structured focus of the interviews. 94% of applicants felt questions were unique to each interview interaction. All applicants felt they had opportunity to represent themselves and to ask questions, and the 30-minute interview was sufficient. All candidates found virtual interviews to be satisfactory but recognized the lack of opportunity to physically visit the hospital campus. 62.5% of faculty reported adhering to the structured format ‘all of the time’; 25% reported adhering ‘most of the time’. All faculty felt the interview focus helped to structure the interview, and that the approach allowed for a more complete candidate review. One interviewer felt the structured format can be constraining. Faculty were divided on virtual interviews, with 57% responding that virtual interviews are not equivalent to in-person interviews, limited by a lack of nonverbal communication. Conclusion(s): Structured focused interview formats for virtual recruitment for a NPM Fellowship training program were well received. Structured focused interview formats may decrease repetition of content between interview interactions and may contribute to a more complete candidate review.
Figure 1: Structured Focused Interview Formats, sample questionsBQ: Behavioral Question; SQ: Situational Question; AQ: Achievement Question; IQ: Intention Question; PQ: Probing Question; Eval: Focus of Evaluation
Table 1: Importance of Fellowship Program Parameters(5-point Likert scale)