Interview Day Environment May Influence Applicant Selection of Emergency Medicine Residency Programs

Introduction The structure of the interview day affects applicant interactions with faculty and residents, which can influence the applicant’s rank list decision. We aimed to determine if there was a difference in matched residents between those interviewing on a day on which didactics were held and had increased resident and faculty presence (didactic day) versus an interview day with less availability for applicant interactions with residents and faculty (non-didactic day). Methods This was a retrospective study reviewing interview dates of matched residents from 2009–2015. Results Forty-two (61.8%) matched residents interviewed on a didactic day with increased faculty and resident presence versus 26 (38.2%) on a non-didactic interview day with less availability for applicant interactions (p = 0.04). Conclusion There is an association between interviewing on a didactic day with increased faculty and resident presence and matching in our program.