Over the past six years, Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Department of Radiology has offered medical students the opportunity to interview fellow and faculty applicants. A few trainees who participated in the process shared their positive experiences in a column published Thursday.
As part of the program, department chairs select students who may be interested in pursuing diagnostic or interventional radiology. In order to promote diversity and inclusion, these interviewers are typically members of student organizations and underrepresented minorities.
The students bring a fresh perspective to the interview process that benefits all involved, John N. Grimes, PhD, with the Nashville, Tennessee, institution and colleagues wrote in JACR.
“As senior medical students approaching radiology residency, we believe that our involvement as interviewers benefited not only ourselves but also the institution and radiology as a whole,” the group, which also includes the chair of Vanderbilt’s School of Medicine, added.
Below are six benefits of the program.
1) Medical student-led interviews indicate a department is not beholden to the traditional hierarchy of knowledge, the authors noted. The candidate’s response to this change can help gauge how open they are to new paradigms and if their thinking aligns with departmental values.
2) Students experience a wide range of teaching styles and are “primed” to appreciate a candidate's views on radiology in medical school curricula, Grimes et al. wrote. If a student feels they would enjoy working with a faculty member, that may indicate the potential hire would be integral in creating a strong radiology department.
3) Interview settings with a student may allow candidates greater “psychological safety” and an opportunity to open up more than if they were interviewed by a senior attending.
4) Fourth-year students are just beginning their radiology career and interviewing allows candid discussions about training, residency tracks, fellowships, and grants. “On the whole, having heard the personal stories of several young radiologists has broadened our understanding of the possible career paths within radiology,” the authors wrote.
5) Practice makes perfect and med students will soon move to the to the other side of the table as they interview for residency positions. Completing interviews can help students understand how they may be perceived as a future applicant.
6) Grimes noted that interviewing has allowed students to work with faculty across the radiology department, forming relationships and a professional network that will become a key resource.
“We recommend adopting this practice across other academic radiology departments,” the authors concluded. “Doing so would yield an important cultural shift, positioning radiology yet again in the role of innovators."
Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.