It is axiomatic that applicants and programs need complete and reliable information about each other to best construct their respective rank lists. Regrettably, there is ample literature showing that both applicants and residency programs often exaggerate their interest in one another. In order to promote the most fair and transparent matching process possible, our program has chosen to adopt the suggestions of Grimm, et al.:[1]
- We request that post-interview communications be limited to requests for objective information.
- Our faculty and staff will not personally respond to correspondence expressing thanks or volunteering ranking preferences. This is not to be taken to mean that our program lacks appreciation for our applicants’ interest generally or that a particular candidate is disfavored! Rather, we seek to minimize the possibility of misleading communication by limiting our correspondence to the exchange of objective information.
- If post-interview communication is required, it should occur via the program coordinator; the faculty have been requested not to directly respond to post-interview communications from applicants.
- To further safeguard our ethical standards, the program coordinator will log all post-interview communications.
Lars J. Grimm, Carolyn S. Avery, and Charles M. Maxfield (2016) Residency Post interview Communications: More Harm Than Good? Journal of Graduate Medical Education: February 2016, Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 7-9.
