We greatly appreciate the reviewer's thorough editorial. Because of how the Urology Match Google Sheet was formatted, there were challenges in quantifying certain aspects of the data and the analyses.
The forum was independently read by both reviewers and a list of codes was generated and updated throughout the process. Coding is a method in which the researcher takes notes about what is said and searches for themes in the process. Themes were then identified through similar groupings of codes. For example, comments like “this program had 15-minute interviews” or “30-minute interviews” were coded as Interview Length. Similar codes including Interview Number and Interview Day Duration could belong together in a theme of “Structure of Interview Day.” Thematic categories were discussed and combined between the two coders and found be similar. The fact that both coders independently generated the same 6 thematic categories through this process speaks to the strengths of the themes within the data.
These results of our study are certainly timely. As away rotations have been affected at many institutions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the interviews will hold more weight for applicants and programs alike. We hope that these results can help residency programs optimize their interview day to provide an educational and positive experience for the applicants.