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Virtual interviewing for residency matching provides many benefits to applicants and programs, but the loss of in-person interaction is resulting in a shift to a new, hybrid process.

The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Match Week 2025 marks a pivotal moment for residency applicants worldwide as they discover their clinical training program placements. A key step in the matching process—interviewing—underwent a major shift during the COVID-19 pandemic when the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) recommended virtual interviews for the 2021 recruitment season. Virtual interviews remain widely used today, with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) continuing to recommend them for both medical school and residency program interviews.

Decreasing Cost & Time

Virtual interviews have led to significant cost reductions. A 2023 research brief published in PRiMER reported that family medicine program recruitment costs fell from more than $70,000 annually for in-person interviews in 2019 and 2020 to between $10,000 and $20,000 annually for virtual interviews in 2021 and 2022.

Residency applicants have also benefited from decreased interview-related costs. Cost savings due to reduced air travel were noted by 82.8% of virtual interview respondents, with nearly half of respondents indicating that interview costs would have been a barrier to interviewing with the program. According to the AAMC, residency interview expenses for MD students in recent years have ranged from $400 to $7,000, depending on the number of programs interviewed.

Virtual interviews have also streamlined the interview day, with applicant time with the program decreasing from an average of 515 minutes for in-person interviews to 345 minutes for virtual interviews.

Shifting to Hybrid Interviews

Despite the cost and time advantages, virtual recruitment has resulted in the loss of valuable in-person experiences such as hospital tours, community visits, and social interactions with residents and faculty. A survey of 2022-2023 otolaryngology residency applicants interviewed virtually highlighted dissatisfaction with the lack of connection with current residents and limited understanding of program culture.

To address these shortcomings, some programs have moved to a hybrid interview process in which they conduct interviews virtually but offer applicants who are seriously considering the program an opportunity to visit the campus and interact with faculty and residents that would not influence their evaluation.

“We’re figuring out ways to incorporate that in-person experience with in-person second looks as part of our recruitment process,” says Nemours Children’s Hospital Residency Training Program Director Corinne L. Bria, MD, MEd. “A sense of belongingness is incredibly important in all of the workplaces and work communities that we live in. Demonstrating that sense of belongingness to our applicants is something that the in-person second looks have allowed, which has allowed us to address that sense of inclusivity. There are intangibles in that which do not translate across the screen, so I’m very grateful for that hybrid system.”

Program Signaling Addresses Application Increase

Virtual interviews have made it easier for applicants to apply to more programs, increasing the burden on residency programs to review and evaluate applications. In response, the NRMP introduced a “program signaling” initiative in 2023 to help programs manage the growing applicant pool. Under this system, applicants signal their interest in specific programs at the time of application, helping programs identify and prioritize interested candidates. Programs are signaling their own approval of the process; The AAMC reported that 4,080 residency programs are participating in program signaling for the 2025 Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) application season.

Lessening Environmental Impact

Virtual interviewing reduces unnecessary travel, which can lessen the environmental footprint of the residency program matching process. In a review in the Journal of Graduate Medical Education, Sarah Kaelin, MD, ScM, and colleagues stated that “in-person interviews create considerable carbon emissions and those working in graduate medical education (GME) are concerned about the climate effects of GME practices and describe them as a compelling reason to permanently adopt virtual interviewing.”

Striking a Balance

Virtual residency program interviews have reshaped the matching process, reducing costs and environmental impact while streamlining the interview day experience. Loss of in-person interaction and increased application volume have presented new challenges; however, hybrid interview processes and program signaling are helping programs and applicants strike a balance between efficiency and personal connection, improving the overall matching experience.