Geographic distribution of ophthalmology residency matches: a comparison of pre- and post-virtual interview cycles in Canada

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of virtual interviews on the geographic distribution of matched ophthalmology residency applicants. DESIGN: A retrospective database review. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 334 residents commencing ophthalmology training from 2016 to 2024 in 15 Canadian ophthalmology residency programs. METHODS: We gathered publicly available information to compare match outcomes pre-virtual (2016-2019) to virtual interviews (2020-2024). Variables collected included resident names, medical school, and residency program location. Chi-squared tests were conducted to determine whether there was a significant difference in the proportion of applicants matching in the same region, province, and institution as their medical schools in pre-virtual versus virtual interview cycles. RESULTS: A total of 292 residents (88% completion rate) were identified. Home program matches were similar between the pre-virtual (51.18%) and virtual cohorts (49.70%). Same-province but different-school matches decreased slightly (18.90% pre-virtual vs 16.36% virtual), while same-region but different-province matches (6.30% vs 6.06%) were similar. Conversely, inter-regional matches increased from 23.62% pre-virtual to 27.88% virtual. Chi-squared analysis showed no statistically significant difference in geographic placement between the two groups (χ² = 0.80; p = 0.85). CONCLUSIONS: The transition to virtual interviews in Canadian ophthalmology residency programs did not significantly alter the geographic distribution of matched applicants. While concerns exist that virtual interviews might limit applicants' ability to explore programs outside their home institutions, our findings suggest that other virtual engagement methods, such as online networking, mentorship programs, and social media, may have helped maintain geographic mobility. Future studies could assess whether these trends persist over time and whether similar strategies could enhance applicant program exposure in other specialties.