Using virtual reality as a replacement for hospital tours during residency interviews

Figures & data

Table 1. Survey statements.

Survey Statements
I.	I believe Virtual Reality is a comparable substitute for in-person facility tours.
II.	I prefer Virtual Reality tours over in-person facility tours.
III.	The use of Virtual Reality had a favorable impact on my perception of the program.
IV.	I had difficulty using the Virtual Reality goggles.
V.	I would like to see more programs using Virtual Reality in the interview day.
VI.	It was helpful to be able to review the facility pictures after the interview day.
VII.	I appreciate being able to use the provided Virtual Reality head set for other purposes since the interview day.

Table 2. Features of interview day ranked by importance to applicants (1: most important, 11: least important).

Rank Importance (by applicants)	Interview Day Features
1	Time with residents and overall resident culture
2	Time with MedPeds Program Director
3	Time with Interviewers
4	Pre-interview dinner
5	Time with core leadership (Pediatrics PD, Medicine PD, Faculty, etc.)
6	Office staff availability and friendliness
7	Academic experience (seeing Grand Rounds, morning reports, etc.)
8	Facility tour of University Hospital
9	Virtual reality tour of Newark Beth Israel
10	Quality of food on interview day
11	Other

Figure 1. Applicant responses to survey regarding VR use during residency interview day.

Table 3. Applicant comments regarding their experience utilizing VR during residency interview day.

Applicant Themes and Associated Comments
Interest in novel technology/innovation	Exciting and new technology made the day fun and interesting. Very innovative – nice way to stand out! I had never been on a Virtual Reality Tour – and found it a fun experience! I liked the novelty of it, and I appreciate the program trying something different. The VR tour was very interesting to experience, and I got a lot from that
Appreciation in decreased energy/time expenditure during interview day	Virtual tour was great! Too many walking tours this season. Very positive experience! Showed respect for our feet, but we were still able to see what it looks like. I really liked the virtual tour as it saved much time and it was cold outside!
Concern for lack of in-person view of the facilities reviewed in virtual tour	I thought it was an interesting idea; however, for this really critical decision I would have liked seeing the hospital in person. I would swap the virtual tour for a real one. While it isn’t very important to see the facilities, if you are going to promote the hospital it would be better to show it via real life tour.
Concern for difficulty with the implementation and/or utilization of novel technology	Strongly dislike. VR has not yet been made properly for people wearing contact lenses and often makes them nauseous or gives them headaches/migraines Virtual reality tour was a bit complicated; I think a PowerPoint of some images of [the children’s hospital] would be an easier alternative. I think it is a great tool, unfortunately I experienced severe motion sickness. The pictures of the facility were a sufficient substitute. I did find the VR tour useful, however it was a little challenging for some applicants to work with. Unclear if that was a malfunction/issue with the app or not. A video tour while more old school may be an alternative to consider