Impact of ACAPS Coordinated Interview Release Policy: Applicant and Program Attitudes, Adherence, and Interview Trends

Abstract

Background: The authors studied the impact of a new, coordinated interview release date for integrated plastic surgery residencies. Methods: A cross-sectional study of all 2020 integrated plastic surgery residencies and applicants was performed. Voluntary, anonymous surveys were administered following implementation of the interview policy. Results: Program response rates were 55.6% for the initial survey and 57.1% for the follow-up survey. Programs released an average of 2.1 (95% CI, 1.8 to 2.4) rounds of interview invitations and invited 39.0 (95% CI, 35.3 to 42.6) applicants to interview. Policy adherence was high (91.1%). Most programs believed the interview policy was an improvement for applicants (46.5% yes; 9.1% no) and programs (41.9% yes; 27.0% no). Median rank of matched candidates was 13, and 55.1% of programs matched candidates within the top quartile of their rank list. The average candidate applied to 72 programs, attended 11 interviews, and ranked 12 programs. Interview distribution was bimodal, with peaks at six and 15 total interview invitations. Applicants within the top fifth, tenth, and fifteenth percentile for total interview invites disproportionately accounted for 15.3%, 26.6%, and 36.5%, respectively, of all invitations received. Survey data suggested applicant satisfaction with travel planning, improved scheduling, and cost savings following implementation of the interview policy. Applicants were somewhat dissatisfied with interview distribution. Conclusions: A coordinated interview release date is facile to adopt and does not adversely impact program interview trends or match rates. Applicants benefit from improved scheduling, travel planning, and cost savings; however, interview distribution continues to favor top-tier candidates.