• Morgan E Davis, Aria Jafari, Kayva Crawford, Bridget V MacDonald, and Deborah Watson.
• Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.
• OTO Open. 2021 Jan 1; 5 (1): 2473974X20988234.

AbstractTo address financial and scheduling conflicts associated with residency interviews for otolaryngology candidates, our residency program implemented virtual interviews as an alternative to the traditional in-person format for our visiting subinterns during the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 interview cycles. Applicants then completed an anonymous survey about their interview experience. We found that, overall, positive attitudes toward virtual interviews increased among 2019-2020 candidates as compared with the year prior. Our results demonstrated an average cost savings per interview of $500 to $1000 when virtual technology was utilized. Based on feedback, improvements may be considered regarding eye contact, minimizing distractions, and providing the option to extend the interview length. Our experience provides a preliminary framework for transitioning to virtual interviews in the upcoming 2020-2021 otolaryngology residency selection process during the COVID-19 era, as well as for future studies assessing the utility of this method and its impact on overall match statistics.© The Authors 2021.

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