International Residents' Perspectives on Education and Challenges in Microsurgery Training

Objective Microsurgery remains an integral component of the surgical skillset and is essential for a diversity of reconstructive procedures. The apprenticeship also requires overcoming a steep learning curve, among many challenges. The method of microsurgical training differs depending on the countries' regions and resources of their health care system. Methods The Journal of Hand and Microsurgery leadership held an international webinar on June 19, 2021, consisting of a panel of residents from 10 countries and moderated by eminent panelists. This inaugural event aimed to share different experiences of microsurgery training on a global scale, identifying challenges to accessing and delivering training. Results Residents shared various structures and modes of microsurgical education worldwide. Areas of discussion also included microsurgical laboratory training, simulation training, knowledge sharing, burnout among trainees, and challenges for female residents in microsurgical training. Conclusion Microsurgical proficiency is attained through deliberate and continued practice, and there is a strong emphasis globally on training and guidance. However, much remains to be done to improve microsurgical training and start acting on the various challenges raised by residents.Copyright © 2022. Society of Indian Hand & Microsurgeons. All rights reserved.

Increasing Social Media Presence for Graduate Medical Education Programs.

Virtual residency interviews during COVID-19 pandemic created a need for residency programs to use social media to increase their visibility and connect with potential applicants. This was, however, new and a road never travelled for many programs. This report describes how our General Surgery Residency Program increased its presence through social media by using various exposure methods and approaches, including diversifying presence and developing candid personalized content. Results suggest that these methods have increased our exposure and reach from an average of 7 people per post to posts reaching over 4500 people. Moreover, the video posts introducing our residents and faculty provided the highest activity and reach. Thus, appropriate use of social media with described interventions and new content creation could exponentially increase the visibility of a residency program. Moreover, educating faculty and residents on the use and importance of social media could increase their interest and participation as well.

The Virtual Interview Experience for MATCH 2021: A Pilot Survey of General Surgery Residency Program Directors.

BACKGROUND: Virtual interviews (VIs) for the 2020 residency application season were mandated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to determine the perspectives of general surgery (GS) program directors (PDs) on the benefits and drawbacks of VIs. METHODS: A 14-item survey was emailed to all GS PDs from programs identified on the American Council for Graduate Medical Education website. Program directors were asked about the cost-time benefit of VIs, its ability to assess candidates, and their thoughts on the future of VIs for evaluating residency applicants. RESULTS: 60 PDs responded corresponding to a response rate of 21%. While 93% agreed/strongly agreed that VIs were less expensive, only 35% found VIs to be less time-consuming. 75% and 67%, respectively, disagreed/strongly disagreed that VIs allowed for an easier assessment of an applicant's fit, and personality and communication skills. Almost one-half of our survey respondents suggested that VIs made the selection committee rely more heavily on objective applicant data. Almost two-thirds of GS PDs suggested that they would adopt both VI and in-person interview formats for future application cycles. The median [interquartile range] cost saved through the implementation of VIs was US$ 4500 [1625 - 10 000]. CONCLUSION: Remarkably, VIs have been swiftly imbibed by all residency programs and many aspects of the VI experience were positive. While MATCH 2021 has definitely proved to be one of its kind, the implementation of VIs has been met with overall broad success and a promising future awaits this novel modality of resident selection to GME programs in the United States.

Shifting the Surgical Residency Match to a 100% Virtual Interview Format During the COVID-19 Pandemic, How has It Affected Placement Into Surgical Training Programs?

INTRODUCTION: The AAMC transitioned to virtual interview formats for the 2020-2021 residency match. This study aims to examine the impact of the 100% virtual interview format for the 2020-2021 residency match on both application and match changes for multiple surgical specialties, including neurosurgery (NS), orthopedic surgery (OS), plastic surgery (PS), general surgery (GS), thoracic surgery (TS), and vascular surgery (VS). METHODS: Cross-sectional study comparing application and match changes between the in-person 2019-2020 and virtual 2020-2021 residency match cycles for different surgical specialties. RESULTS: There was an overall increase in the number of applicants for 5 of the surgery specialties but not VS, and an overall increase in the number of applications per residency program across all specialties. The average number of applications per applicant also increased, except in TS. There were no major match changes except in TS, which saw an increase in number of spots filled by MDs to nearly 100% from 84.2% in the previous cycle. CONCLUSION: The switch to the 100% virtual 2020-2021 residency match interview format was associated with an overall increase in the number of applications per program and number of applications per applicant across multiple surgical specialties. There was a decrease in the number of applicants to VS and an increase in the number of applications per applicant. The switch to a virtual interview format in 2020-2021 was also associated with an increase in TS spots filled by MDs to almost 98%, increasing the already concerning TS match disparity for DO and IMG applicants.

Joining Forces: The Addition of a Palliative Care Practitioner to a Resident Teaching Service During COVID-19 Pandemic as a Tool to Improve Patient Care and Provider Communication.

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented an array of novel issues for hospitals and their staff, 1 of the most noted being increased patient isolation due to visitation restrictions. This has created new challenges for health care systems and their workers. To leverage the expertise of Palliative Care Practitioners (PCP) as described here to improve patient/provider communication, patient experience, and quality of care during the COVID-19 pandemic. To address these new obstacles to patient care presented by the pandemic, a PCP was incorporated into the physician team caring for COVID-19 patients at the time of admission. Members of the care team were surveyed and interviewed regarding their experiences with this added support. During a period of peak hospital strain from COVID-19, team members consistently reported that daily PCP involvement led to improvement in communication with patients and families, greater provider awareness of psychosocial stressors, and decreased physician burnout. Integration of a PCP into a clinical care team during the COVID-19 pandemic was perceived as a valuable asset to patients, families, and clinicians.

iSleepFirst: burnout, fatigue, and wearable-tracked sleep deprivation among residents staffing the medical intensive care unit.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between sleep, burnout, and psychomotor vigilance in residents working in the medical intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: A prospective cohort study of residents was implemented during a consecutive 4-week. Residents were recruited to wear a sleep tracker for 2 weeks before and 2 weeks during their medical ICU rotation. Data collected included wearable-tracked sleep minutes, Oldenburg burnout inventory (OBI) score, Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS), psychomotor vigilance testing, and American Academy of Sleep Medicine sleep diary. The primary outcome was sleep duration tracked by the wearable. The secondary outcomes were burnout, psychomotor vigilance (PVT), and perceived sleepiness. RESULTS: A total of 40 residents completed the study. The age range was 26-34 years with 19 males. Total sleep minutes measured by the wearable decreased from 402 min (95% CI: 377-427) before ICU to 389 (95% CI: 360-418) during ICU (p < 0.05). Residents overestimated sleep, logging 464 min (95% CI: 452-476) before and 442 (95% CI: 430-454) during ICU. ESS scores increased from 5.93 (95% CI: 4.89, 7.07) to 8.33 (95% CI: 7.09,9.58) during ICU (p < 0.001). OBI scores increased from 34.5 (95% CI: 32.9-36.2) to 42.8 (95% CI: 40.7-45.0) (p < 0.001). PVT scores worsened with increased reaction time while on ICU rotation (348.5 ms pre-ICU, 370.9 ms post-ICU, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Resident ICU rotations are associated with decreased objective sleep and self-reported sleep. Residents overestimate sleep duration. Burnout and sleepiness increase and associated PVT scores worsen while working in the ICU. Institutions should ensure resident sleep and wellness checks during ICU rotation.

The Importance of General Surgery Residency Program's Online Presence Varies Among Applicant Groups.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated an exclusively virtual 2021 residency application cycle. We hypothesized that residency programs' online presence would have increased utility and influence for applicants. METHODS: Substantial surgery residency website modifications were undertaken in the summer of 2020. Page views were gathered by our institution's information technology office for comparison across years and programs. An anonymous, voluntary, online survey was sent to all interviewed applicants for our 2021 general surgery program match. Five-point Likert-scale questions evaluated applicants' perspective on the online experience. RESULTS: Our residency website received 10,650 page views in 2019 and 12,688 in 2020 (P = 0.14). Page views increased with a greater margin compared to a different specialty residency program's (P < 0.01). From 108 interviewees, 75 completed the survey (69.4%). Respondents indicated our website was satisfactory or very satisfactory compared to other programs (83.9%), and none found it unsatisfactory. Applicants overall stated our institution's online presence impacted their decision to interview (51.6%). Programs' online presence impacted the decision to interview for nonWhite applicants (68%) but significantly less for white applicants (31%, P < 0.03). We observed a trend that those with fewer than this cohort's median interviews (17 or less) put more weight on online presence (65%), compared to those with 18 or greater interviews (35%). CONCLUSIONS: Applicants utilized program websites more during the 2021 virtual application cycle; our data show most applicants depend on institutions' websites to supplement their decision-making; however, there are subgroup differences in the influence online presence has on applicant decisions. Efforts to enhance residency webpages and online resources for candidates may positively influence prospective surgical trainees, and especially those underrepresented in medicine, to decide to interview.

Utilization of Instagram by Ophthalmology Residency Programs in the Era of COVID-19.

Purpose: The aim of this research is to describe the use of the social media platform, Instagram, by academic ophthalmology residency programs in the United States over time and consider the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on ophthalmology's social media presence. Methods and Subjects: This cross-sectional study was conducted online by reviewing the publicly accessible Instagram accounts of all accredited US academic ophthalmology residency programs. Main Outcomes and Measures: Number of US ophthalmology residency programs with an affiliated Instagram account were analyzed by year of creation. The content of the top six accounts with the most followers was analyzed by evaluating amount of engagement within defined post categories. Results: Of the 124 ophthalmology residency programs, 78 (62.9%) were identified as having an affiliated Instagram account, 60 accounts (48.4%) were created during the years 2020 or 2021, and 62 (50.0%) accounts focused specifically on promoting the residency training program. Of the top six accounts with the most followers, post categories that received the most engagement were "Medical" and "Group Photo", while those that received the least engagement were "Department Bulletin" and "Miscellaneous." User engagement on posts as measured by likes and comments increased across multiple post categories after January 2020. Conclusion: Social media presence of ophthalmology residency programs on Instagram increased substantially in 2020 and 2021. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic restricting in-person interactions, residency programs have used alternative platforms to reach applicants. Given the increasing use of such applications, social media will likely continue to become an important aspect of professional engagement in ophthalmology.

[Perceptions of resident physicians on the development of the cardiology resident program during the COVID-19 pandemic in Lima, Peru]. / Percepciones de los médicos residentes sobre el desarrollo del programa de residentado de cardiología durante la pandemia por COVID-19 en Lima, Perú.

Objective: To describe the perceptions of resident doctors about the development of their training program during the pandemic in the city of Lima - Peru. Materials and methods: Through a cross-sectional study, a questionnaire was applied to seventy-eight cardiology residents in the last two years of training in the specialty. The perceptions about the accompaniment and support of the universities in the educational venues, for the development of the training program in cardiology during the pandemic, were evaluated. Results: Regarding the support provided for their training, the items evaluated showed shortcomings above 60%, where permanent supervision was lacking in 90.0% of the residents. Regarding compliance with the rotations, the residents only received supervision in 24.4%, observing that they did not manage to carry out adequate rotations in 80.8% of the cases. The courses of the curricular plan were adequately developed in 92.5% of the cases, and the actions for the health of the resident were very low, highlighting that only in 9.0% of the cases did the university inquire about the state of health of the resident. Conclusions: The development of the cardiology residency training program during the pandemic presented important shortcomings, showing that the deficiencies were accentuated compared to previous studies.

Evaluating PubMed-Indexed Publications of Applicants Successfully Matching into the Top 50 Urology Residency Programs in the 2021-2023 Cycles.

Background and objective Urology residency match occurs through the American Urological Association (AUA), and hence information about the success of applicants in finding a match is not readily available. The average number of publications a successful urology applicant has when applying for residency is unknown. In light of this, we conducted this study to examine the number of PubMed-indexed research projects involving US senior medical students who successfully matched into the top 50 urology residency programs in the 2021, 2022, and 2023 match cycles. We also assessed these applicants based on their medical schools and gender. Methods Doximity Residency Navigator was used to generate the top 50 residency programs as sorted by reputation. Newly matched residents were found using program Twitter accounts and residency program websites. PubMed was queried for peer-reviewed publications of incoming interns. Results The average number of publications across all incoming interns in the three years was 3.65. The average number of urology-specific publications was 1.86 and that of first-author urology publications was 1.11. The median number of total publications for matched applicants was 2, and applicants with a total of five publications were in the 75th percentile for research productivity. Conclusion A successful applicant had two PubMed-indexed urology papers on average and also had a urology-specific first-author paper in the cycles we surveyed. There has been an increase in publications per applicant when comparing the results to previous application cycles, which can be attributed to post-pandemic changes.

The 2022 and 2023 Emergency Medicine Residency Match: A Cautionary Tale.

Introduction The emergency medicine (EM) match has undergone significant shifts in 2022 and 2023. While variation in specialty fill rates is expected over time, EM programs noted a significant increase in open positions starting in 2022. Utilizing National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) data over a 10-year period, we identified significant deviations in the emergency medicine match. Methods Shewhart control charts were used to plot the match results over time. A 10-year sample was used to establish the baseline value. From this value, the upper and lower control limits were established. Residency program expansion, decreasing applicant numbers, and changing applicant types were evaluated to detect any non-random changes to the process. Results While the number of EM PGY-1 positions added over time was within the expected range, both the number of unmatched positions and the change in the number of total US MD applicants were outside of this range and are considered to be "out of control." Conclusion It is not yet clear which contributing causes may underlie this sudden change. Several potential etiologies exist, including mismatches in supply and demand for positions, changes in perceptions of the specialty, the effects of COVID-19, and changing workforce needs. Historically similar experiences affecting other specialties, including anesthesia and radiation oncology, are analyzed. Potential solutions for returning to the necessary and usual success of the emergency medicine specialty match are explored.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Plastic Surgery Residents Across the World: A Country-, Region-, and Income-level Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has upended graduate medical education globally. We investigated the COVID-19 impact on learning inputs and expected learning outputs of plastic surgery residents across the world. METHODS: We administered an online survey capturing training inputs before and during the pandemic and retrieved residents' expected learning outputs compared with residents who completed their training before COVID. The questionnaire reached residents across the world through the mobilization of national and international societies of plastic surgeons. RESULTS: The analysis included 412 plastic surgery residents from 47 countries. The results revealed a 44% decline (ranging from - 79 to 10% across countries) and an 18% decline (ranging from - 76 to across 151% countries) in surgeries and seminars, respectively, per week. Moreover, 74% (ranging from 0 to 100% across countries) and 43% (ranging from 0 to 100% across countries) of residents expected a negative COVID-19 impact on their surgical skill and scientific knowledge, respectively. We found strong correlations only between corresponding input and output: surgeries scrubbed in with surgical skill (ρ = -0.511 with p < 0.001) and seminars attended with scientific knowledge (ρ = - 0.274 with p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: Our ranking of countries based on their COVID-19 impacts provides benchmarks for national strategies of learning recovery. Remedial measures that target surgical skill may be more needed than those targeting scientific knowledge. Our finding of limited substitutability of inputs in training suggests that it may be challenging to make up for lost operating room time with more seminars. Our results support the need for flexible training models and competency-based advancement. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE V: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors http://www.springer.com/00266 .

Changing Teaching Trends During Covid-19 And Its Impact On Ent Residency Program In India: A Cross Sectional Study.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has presented an unmatched challenge to the ENT residency programs to adapt to a form of web-based learning process and stimulation-based training. It also focuses on the mental stress underwent and the viewpoint of the residents to the paradigm shift in clinical care and academics. Methods: An anonymous questionnaire was created in an online survey generator with 22 questions with limited options (yes/no) and was circulated through email and what's app which has been responded to by 240 ENT residents throughout the country. The questionnaire was divided into five sections, demographics, knowledge about COVID-19 and its management, impact on clinical activity, academics and mental well-being section. Results: Out of 240 respondents, 190(79.2%) were junior residents and 50(20.8%) were senior residents. Although many of them knew the necessary precautions to be taken, 94(39.8%) turned out to be positive themselves with the high fear of transmitting to their family members. Three-fourth participants suggested extending the training period after graduation for the loss incurred. However, half of them sought an opportunity to train themselves for the management of communicable disease, 95% of the residents opined that they are having a negative impact on the job performance due to loss of surgical hands-on which has been drastically reduced. Conclusion: The issues mentioned have been addressed through STEPs - Safety of the residents, Time utilisation by research, Education continuation by online web learning and stimulatory programs, psychological support for mental well-being. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12070-022-03377-7.

An Asynchronous Curriculum: Learner Perspectives on Incorporating Asynchronous Learning Into In-Person and Virtual Emergency Residency Didactics.

Background  Didactic education in emergency medicine (EM) residencies has been impacted both by the advent of asynchronous learning and by the shift toward virtual, web-based conference education due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Studies have demonstrated the efficacy of asynchronous education, but few have explored resident opinions about how asynchronous and virtual modifications on conference impact their educational experience.  Objective This study aimed to evaluate resident perceptions of both asynchronous and virtual modifications to a historically in-person didactic curriculum. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of residents of a three-year EM program at a large academic center where a 20% asynchronous curriculum was implemented in January 2020. A questionnaire was administered online with questions assessing how residents perceived their didactic curriculum with regard to convenience, retention of information, work/life balance, enjoyability, and overall preference. Questions compared resident opinions of in-person vs. virtual learning, as well as how the substitution of one hour of asynchronous learning impacted residents' perception of their didactics. Responses were reported on a five-point Likert-type scale.  Results A total of 32 out of 48 residents (67%) completed the questionnaire. When virtual conference was compared to in-person conference, residents favored virtual conference with regard to convenience (78.1%), work-life balance (78.1%), and overall preference (68.8%). They favored in-person conference (40.6%) or felt that the modalities were equivalent (40.6%) with regard to retention of information and favored in-person conference with regard to enjoyability (53.1%). Residents felt that the addition of asynchronous learning to their curriculum increased subjective convenience, work-life balance, enjoyability, retention of information, and overall preference, regardless of whether synchronous conference was virtual or in-person. All 32 responding residents were interested in seeing the asynchronous curriculum continue. Conclusion EM residents value the addition of asynchronous learning to both in-person and virtual didactic curricula. Additionally, virtual conference was favored over in-person conference with regard to work/life balance, convenience, and overall preference. As social distancing restrictions continue to ease post-COVID-19 pandemic, EM residencies may consider adding or maintaining asynchronous or virtual components to their synchronous conference schedule as a means to support resident wellness.

Relationship Between Residency Match Distance From Medical School and Virtual Application, School Characteristics, and Specialty Competitiveness.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the residency match process by eliminating away rotations and changing from in-person to virtual interviews. In this study, we explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the geographic match distance of United States (US) senior medical students across all specialties. METHODS: We collected publicly available student match data between 2018 and 2021 from US allopathic medical schools and calculated match distance between medical school and residency training using a novel metric - the "match space." Match space was codified by whether the student matched at their home institution, home state, adjacent state, same or adjacent US census division (non-adjacent state) or skipped at least one US census division. Adjusting for covariates, ordinal logistic regression correlated school and specialty characteristics with match distance pre- and post-pandemic for all specialties. We defined and ranked specialty competitiveness using predictive values from factor analysis. RESULTS: A total of 34,672 students representing 66 medical schools from 28 states matched into 26 specialties in 50 states and Canada. Fifty-nine percent of students were from public institutions, and 27% of schools ranked in the top 40 for research. The mean percentage of in-state students by school was 60.3% (range 3-100%). Match space was lower after the pandemic (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 0.94, 95% CI 0.90-0.98; p=0.006), from schools with higher in-state percentages (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.72-0.76), from top National Institutes of Health-funded institutions (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.85-0.92), from the Northeast (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.67-0.75; Midwest reference), and the West (OR 0.67, 95% 0.60-0.74). Match space was higher for students graduating from private schools (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.05-1.19), from the South (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.2-1.33), and matching into more competitive specialties (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.02-1.14). The top five most competitive specialties were Plastic Surgery, Neurosurgery, Dermatology, Orthopedic Surgery, and Otolaryngology. Internal Medicine ranked eighth. CONCLUSIONS: After the COVID-19 pandemic, students graduating from US allopathic schools matched closer to their home institution. Students attending public schools, schools with more in-state matriculants, and schools with higher research rankings also matched closer to their home institutions. Specialty competitiveness and US census region also impacted match distance. Our study adds insight into how geographic match patterns were influenced by school, specialty choice, and the pandemic.

A Canadian survey of residency applicants' and interviewers' perceptions of the 2021 CaRMS R1 virtual interviews.

BACKGROUND: All Canadian Residency Matching Service (CaRMS) R1 interviews were conducted virtually for the first time in 2021. We explored the facilitators, barriers, and implications of the virtual interview process for the CaRMS R1 match and provide recommendations for improvement. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey study of CaRMS R1 residency applicants and interviewers across Canada in 2021. Surveys were distributed by email to the interviewers, and by email, social media, or newsletter to the applicants. Inductive thematic analysis was used for open-ended items. Recommendations were provided as frequencies to demonstrate strength. Close-ended items were described and compared across groups using Chi-Square Fisher's Exact tests. RESULTS: A total of 127 applicants and 400 interviewers, including 127 program directors, responded to the survey. 193/380 (50.8%) interviewers and 90/118 (76.3%) applicants preferred virtual over in-person interview formats. Facilitators of the virtual interview format included cost and time savings, ease of scheduling, reduced environmental impact, greater equity, less stress, greater reach and participation, and safety. Barriers of the virtual interview format included reduced informal conversations, limited ability for applicants to explore programs at different locations, limited ability for programs to assess applicants' interest, technological issues, concern for interview integrity, limited non-verbal communication, and reduced networking. The most helpful media for applicants to learn about residency programs were program websites, the CaRMS/AFMC websites, and recruitment videos. Additionally, panel interviews were preferred by applicants for their ability to showcase themselves and build connections with multiple interviewers. Respondents provided recommendations regarding: (1) dissemination of program information, (2) the use of technology, and (3) the virtual interview format. CONCLUSIONS: Perceptions of 2021 CaRMS R1 virtual interviews were favourable among applicants and interviewers. Recommendations from this study can help improve future iterations of virtual interviews.

Maintaining High Quality Dosimetry Education in Radiation Oncology Medical Residency Amid and Post-COVID-19 Pandemic: A Reimagined Training Rotation

Background The Mayo Clinic radiation oncology medical residency program has maintained a dedicated medical dosimetry rotation since 1996. During this one-month rotation, residents practice and complete treatment plans under the supervision of certified medical dosimetrists. Skill development includes image fusions, contouring, treatment planning, and plan review all occurring in a one-on-one face-to-face educational environment. During the COVID-19 pandemic, our department incorporated dosimetry telework, and the rotation was modified into remote experience with an emphasis on creating enduring content while still maintaining a high-quality educational rotation. Methods In early 2020, the medical residency and dosimetry program leaders evaluated the state of the resident rotation with the goal of identifying areas of the rotation that could be made into enduring content, modernizing the objectives of the rotation, and adapting the face-to-face educational experience into a virtual environment. The new goals and platform were implemented in January 2022. Evaluations pre and post implementation were reviewed. Results After education committee review, goals and objectives were updated to reflect current practice. The rotation was restructured into a disease-site specific approach, with shared supervision by disease site, rather than a single dosimetry mentor. Site-specific standard of practice (SOP) documentation and twenty-four step-by-step tutorial videos teaching 3D and inverse treatment planning techniques were created. Virtual practice scenarios were created to ensure the appropriate breadth of experience. After onboarding for the rotation, residents reviewed site-specific SOP documentation and training tutorials while planning virtual cases independently, under disease site-specific dosimetry supervision. Virtual interactive plan review sessions of both practice and actual patients were performed through Microsoft Teams with supervising dosimetrists. Medical resident evaluation of the dosimetry rotation pre- and post- pandemic were collected via survey. Preliminary feedback on the recent implementation of enduring content and remote environment education have been positive, citing high quality content and satisfaction with virtual learning platform from residents. Raw data collection is currently in progress. Mentor feedback also cited improved rotation quality with enhanced efficiency of one-on-one instructional time. Discussion As the telework environment continues to evolve;the initial results of the restructured rotation present a positive outlook on the future of remote education and the success of enduring content from the perspective of both medical residents and dosimetrists. These results may also translate to the evolution of other aspects of the residency program. Further enhancements of the rotation including rotational assessments and attending physician interaction are planned for future resident rotations.

Evaluating the Utility of Webinars Discussing the Radiation Oncology Residency Application Process in the COVID-19 Era

Background Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of digital resources available for medical students (MS) interested in radiation oncology (RO) has increased. Here, we evaluated the utility of webinars focused on educating MS about the RO residency application process. Methods The American College of Radiation Oncology hosted webinars in 2021 and 2022 prior to the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) application deadline. For each webinar, program directors gave short presentations about the ERAS application, interviews, and program ranking, and concluded with question and answer session. Participant demographics were collected using live poll questions and understanding was assessed using a Likert scale (range 1 [no, not at all] to 4 [yes, definitely]). Recordings were available online for asynchronous viewing. Differences between groups were assessed using Chi-square statistics. Results Between both webinars, there were a total of 69 participants and 170 asynchronous views. A total of 86% and 71% of participants answered the demographics and understanding questions, respectively. The majority attended medical school within the US (75%), were in their third/fourth year (70%), graduating with an M.D. degree (88%), and planned to apply to RO residency (78%). In terms of baseline knowledge of the application process, 49% believed they knew "a lot," while 51% believed they knew "a little" or "nothing." The majority of participants noted the webinar improved their understanding of the general application process (mean 3.80), the ERAS application (mean 3.65), and the interview process (mean 3.90). For a subset of participants (n=39), survey results were stratified by baseline understanding of the application process ("a little" versus "a lot"). Compared to participants who knew "a lot" about the application process, those that knew "a little" about the process reported higher scores in general understanding (mean 3.80 versus 3.60), ERAS application (mean 3.72 versus 3.50), and interview process (mean 3.93 versus 3.8). However, these differences were not statistically significant. Discussion As the number of digital resources in RO increases, we must examine whether they meet the needs of their target audience. Webinars can improve MS understanding of the RO residency application process. These webinars were an ideal format to educate MS about this process because they utilized both attending and resident physicians - two sources of information considered highly trustworthy by MS. Given the recent decline in applications to RO, engaging with MS through dedicated webinars warrants continued exploration.

The Neurosurgery Match: COVID Comparison and Bibliometric Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Because of the effect of COVID on academic opportunities, as well as limitations on travel, away rotations and in-person interviews, COVID-related changes could impact the neurosurgical resident demographics. Our aim was to retrospectively review the demographics of the previous four years of neurosurgery residents, provide bibliometric analysis of successful applicants, and analyze for the effects of COVID on the match cycle. METHODS: All AANS residency program websites were examined for a list of demographic characteristics for current post-graduate year (PGY) 1 to 4. Gathered information included gender, undergraduate and medical institution and state, medical degree status, and prior graduate programs. RESULTS: A total of 114 institutions and 946 residents were included in the final review. 676 (71.5%) of the residents included in the analysis were male. Of the 783 who studied within the United States, 221 (28.2%) residents stayed within the same state of his or her medical school. 104 of 555 (18.7%) residents stayed within the same state of his or her undergraduate school. Demographic information as well as geographic switching relative to medical school, undergraduate school, and hometown showed no significant changes between pre-COVID and COVID-matched cohorts overall. The median number of publications per resident significantly increased for the COVID-matched cohort (median, 1; interquartile range (IQR), 0-4.75) when compared to the non-COVID-matched cohort (median, 1; IQR, 0-3, p = 0.004) as did first author publications (median, 1; IQR, 0-1 vs median, 1; IQR, 0-1; p = 0.015), respectively. The number of residents matching into the same region in the Northeast relative to undergraduate degree was significantly greater after COVID (56 (58%) vs 36 (42%), p = 0.026). The West demonstrated a significant increase in the mean number of total publications (4.0 ± 8.5 vs 2.3 ± 4.2, p = 0.02) and first author publications (1.24 ± 2.33 vs 0.68 ± 1.47, p = 0.02) after COVID, with the increase in first author publications being significant in a test of medians. CONCLUSION: Herein we characterized the most recently matched neurosurgery applicants, paying particular attention to changes over time in relation to the onset of the pandemic. Apart from publication volume, characteristics of residents and geographical preferences did not change with the influence of COVID-induced changes in the application process.