While the stakes during residency interviews may seem higher when medical students and other applicants are speaking with their future bosses—program directors and attending physicians—your future graduate medical education (GME) peers can have a key voice in the process.
Often a formal part of the interview proceedings, conversations with current resident physicians are often a meaningful part of how residency programs evaluate applicants. They are also one of the clearest opportunities for medical students to show something an application alone cannot fully convey: what kind of colleague you would be in the day-to-day work of residency.
So how should medical students approach these conversations with current residents at programs? Data and expert insights shed light on that question.
Current residents a key in program ranking
For medical students who have secured an interview, what happens on interview day can play a major role in how residency programs build their rank lists.
For a 2026 survey conducted by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), more than 850 program directors (PDs) were asked to select from a list of factors considered in selecting applicants for Match ranking. Feedback from current residents rated as the third-most important factor that PDs cited in ranking decisions.
Now a urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery fellow at University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Briana Koehler, MD, did a number of interviews with residents during her ob-gyn residency training.
“In the program I was at, residents had a lot of say,” she said. “Our program leadership really seemed to take our feedback to heart.”
UT Southwestern Medical Center is a subscribing institution to the AMA GME Competency Education Program, which helps institutions meet the ACGME Common Program Requirements through a flexible on-demand micro learning approach for residents. The program fits into demanding clinical schedules and is supported by streamlined reporting tools for program administrators. Learn more.
How residents evaluate applicants
Residents approach interviews with a critical eye, suggests a 2023 single-institution study published in The Journal of Emergency Medicine from the 2020–2021 application cycle. In analyzing interview scores across 250 applicants who did interviews with four faculty members and one senior resident, the researchers found a concordance between resident- and faculty-interview scores.
Residency interviews are designed to assess a number of qualities, including interpersonal skills, communication and cultural fit. With firsthand knowledge of how a residency program functions, residents can be well-positioned to judge those attributes. Regardless of the interviewer, it’s wise for residency applicants to know which interview questions are most frequently asked and have answers prepared.
“Medical students should know that mostly we’re looking for colleagues that we’re going to have a positive work experience with,” said Dr. Koehler, an AMA member. “Figuring out personality types and how you’ll fit in a program is a big part of that.”
Making the right impression with current residents
If you are going to show that you can fit in a program, have tangible examples and scenarios of your ability prepared when you speak with current residents according to Liz Southworth, MD, a third-year urogynecology fellow at UT Southwestern.
“I’m looking for people to demonstrate through examples or experiences” said Dr. Southworth, also an AMA member. “I’m looking for them to show me how they’re going to be a good colleague instead of just saying, ‘I’m going to work hard, and I’m going to be a team player.’”
Medical students can also make an impression and gain valuable insight on their fit by asking pointed questions. Topics that Drs. Southworth and Koehler recommend covering included autonomy, clinical experiences, culture and programmatic support.
Dr. Southworth said residency applicants can stand out by doing some homework on a program and its residents beforehand.
“Whenever applicants come to interviews, having done some research and illustrating that a little bit, I always find that to be positive,” she said. “It’s a nice way to show your investment in a program beyond just the application and the interview—that you’ve dug a little deeper and want to get to know the program more than just what’s on the paper.”
