National Pediatric Subspecialty Recruitment Sessions Increase Program Visibility and Impact Candidate Application Choices.

While the pediatric subspecialty applicant pool is increasing, so is the number of open positions, with an overall 1:1 ratio of applicant to position. Unfortunately, there is a wide disparity in this ratio dependent upon subspecialty, leaving many programs unfilled.1 Since 2020, recruitment has shifted to virtual, and while the impact on programs and applicants is not fully understood, some program leadership feel disadvantaged without the opportunity to showcase their programs in person. To satisfy the growing desire for pediatric subspecialty programs to be more visible to the applicant pool, a national virtual recruitment session was piloted for pediatric subspecialties using the virtual format created by FuturePedsRes.Individual subspecialty recruitment sessions were held during July 2022 from 8:00-9:30 pm ET featuring 2 to 3 subspecialties on 4 different dates. Prior to the evening, programs were given the option to post a slide on the Association of Pediatric Program Directors website describing their fellowship training program for applicant review. A representative for each participating subspecialty, identified through the Council of Pediatric Subspecialties, served as the communication director between programs and session organizers to coordinate logistics prior to the event. Each subspecialty had a unique virtual link on the night of their session, and each fellowship program within that subspecialty had an individual breakout room. Applicants rotated freely between program breakout rooms, with a suggestion to rotate every 10 minutes. A post-participation survey was sent to all participants.Eleven pediatric subspecialties participated, including 701 live participants representing programs and applicants (Table). Of the participating program leadership, 158 completed a post-participation survey, with half indicating the session increased the visibility of their program, several citing an appreciation of the intimate relationship with the applicants, and a majority wanting to participate again. Of the 49 applicants who responded to the survey, 100% felt the evening was a good use of their time, highlighting the face time with leadership and trainees and the opportunity to meet many programs in one setting as positives. Importantly, 92% (45 of 49) of applicants visited programs outside their current geographic location, 51% (25 of 49) visited programs they were not originally planning to apply to, and 42% (18 of 43) applied to new programs as a result of participating in the session. Challenges identified included: some programs having no applicants visit their breakout rooms, the late timing of sessions in this recruitment season, and some logistical issues during the sessions.The inaugural national pediatric subspecialty recruitment sessions were successful, resulting in increased visibility for programs and in applicants applying to programs they had not considered prior to the session. Applicants thought the accessibility of all programs on one platform simultaneously was helpful, and many visited programs they otherwise would not have had the opportunity to explore. In response to feedback, several logistical changes will be applied to subsequent sessions for the 2023 appointment year, including a shift to earlier in the year, prior to the submission of applications. This will allow for increased time for advertising the sessions and improved promotion of individual program information in advance. This model of training program informational sessions is applicable across graduate medical education programs and may serve to not only provide enhanced individual program visibility but also increase awareness about careers in subspecialities in general and potentially expand the applicant pool.