Abstract Manager

Oral

OD1-3-2

Accept

I declare I have no actual or potential conflict of interest in relation to this program.

no

General Call (Workshop, Oral Presentation, Poster Presentation)

Oral

Education Innovation

Student

yes

Increasing Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Improving Interview Skills and Confidence for Underrepresented Minorities in Medicine through an Interview Preparation and Support Program

Canadian medical schools host interviews as part of the application process, assessing candidacy for matriculation, and communication, ethical reasoning, and critical thinking skills. Underrepresented minority applicants often lack access to a network of individuals who can offer guidance and expertise in medical school interviews and ethical decision making. Minority applicants also tend to underperform on non-academic parameters of medical school applications.

University of Ottawa medical students designed a free multimodal (virtual and in-person) Interview Preparation and Support Program (IPSP) for underrepresented medical school applicants across Canada with support from the Community of Support. The virtual component was implemented to remain adherent to public health guidelines for the COVID-19 pandemic. The program included 23 applicants and 17 medical student volunteers. Medical students were paired with applicants and shared information about interview structures, conducted mock interviews, provided long-term peer-to-peer mentorship and networking, and shared approaches to answer ethical and traditional style questions. We aimed to increase diversity by helping minority applicants matriculate, improve confidence and self-perceived competency in ethical- decision making, reduce the anxiety and financial burden of purchasing interview preparation courses.

Pre and post-program surveys demonstrated significant improvements in the applicants' self- perceived: confidence in their competency to perform well and knowledge about interview structures, preparedness, and competency to answer ethical and traditional style questions, as well as reduced anxiety (all p<0.05). All applicants were relieved of the financial burden of purchasing interview preparation courses and 89% matriculated. IPSP addresses barriers faced by minority applicants and aims to increase equity, diversity, and inclusivity.

Equity Diversity and Inclusivity

Medical school interview

Mentorship

Undergraduate

Leadership

Student Affairs

Admissions

Inter-professional Education

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes