"Wear comfortable shoes to our interview, and remember you will be changing into scrubs." This is information you may receive if you are invited to an interview by the general surgery residency program at the Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle.
The program developed a "working approach to interviewing" in the late 1970s. In this approach, following check-in, the interviewee changes into scrubs, attends morning conference, and receives an overview of the program from the chief resident. The bulk of the day is then spent with an assigned surgical team in the OR and on the wards. Faculty are given the applicant's ERAS application to review before the visit. Faculty and senior residents are both asked to evaluate the interviewee.
What was the impetus for the program's use of this novel approach? "This method was developed to help faculty continue with their day-to-day activities, encourage candidates to experience the professional environment, and provide a forum for evaluating candidate's knowledge and interpersonal skills in a fair way," wrote Dr. Richard Thirlby in an article published by Academic Medicine. Dr. Thirlby is the program director of the general surgery residency program at Virginia Mason Medical Center.
The program seeks feedback from its applicants on its interview approach, and the feedback has been consistently positive over the years. What do you think? Would you like to have programs evaluate you in this manner or do you prefer the traditional interview?
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