Virtual Recruitment in 2020 and Beyond: Rheumatology Fellowship Program Directors Survey Results

Jemez Mountains, northwest New Mexico (oil), by Ralph C. Williams Jr.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, all rheumatology fellowship interviews conducted in the 2020 fellowship recruitment season were conducted in a virtual, video-based format to reduce the risks associated with travel and face-to-face meetings.

In June 2020, the Coalition for Physician Accountability released guidance suggesting all programs commit to online-only interviews and recruitment events, even for local applicants.¹ Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) timelines were adjusted, increasing the time applicants had to complete applications and upload documents, and slightly decreasing the time programs were given to review applications and interview candidates prior to submitting a rank list. Programs and applicants had to rapidly adapt to a new recruitment process with relatively short notice.²

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) released a document with tips for setting up and conducting virtual interviews, and some institutions and graduate medical education offices created local resources for programs and faculty. Despite rapid efforts to adapt, many program directors had concerns about potential changes to the applicant pool, their effectiveness in communicating their programs’ strengths and unique culture in a purely online format, and their ability to assess applicants without an in-person meeting.

However, in addition to alleviating safety concerns associated with the pandemic, virtual recruitment had a number of potential benefits, especially for applicants—including reduced costs and time away from current training programs—that could enable candidates to interview with programs that might otherwise be out of reach.

Reflecting on the challenges and successes of the 2020 recruitment season could help us plan for future adaptations to fellowship recruitment.

Virtual Recruitment Survey

The ACR’s Committee on Rheumatology Training and Workforce Issues (COTW) made the decision to conduct the Rheuma­tology Program Director 2020 Virtual Recruitment Survey with the aim of better understanding how rheumatology fellowship recruitment was affected across the country from the perspective of program directors. The COTW plans to survey applicants in the future.

The survey was distributed via email to all 149 adult and 39 pediatric rheumatology program directors in February 2021, and responses were received from 73 adult (49%) and 16 pediatric (41%) program directors.

The survey included questions regarding the applicant pool, informational resources, interview activities, assessing applicants and future directions, and allowed for open-ended comments. The survey results were presented at the ACR Division & Program Directors Conference, which took place March 18–20. Comments gathered at the time of the presentation were also reviewed for additional qualitative input.