Program Settings, Guidelines, and Scenarios for Specialties/Programs Using a Common Invite/Schedule Date

October 27, 2021 16:37

This guide has been created to assist residency/fellowship programs in managing universal or common interview invitation release dates through Thalamus, specifically those with a waiting/embargo period for applicants following invites (i.e. applicants are invited on a particular date, and then only allowed to schedule at a later date). Should you have any questions regarding any items in this document please contact us at customercare@thalamusgme.com.

Choose Program Calendar Options

Thalamus is equipped with two types of events built specifically to manage common interview invitation release dates:

Closed Events
Private/Hidden Events

Specific characteristics for these two types of events are outlined in the table below:

	Option 1: Closed Events	Option 2: Private/Hidden Events
Viewable to applicants on calendar?	Closed events are VIEWABLE to applicants on the calendar, but with “0” spots available. Applicants are therefore unable to sign up for the date unless it is “open”.	Private events will NOT BE VIEWABLE to applicants on the calendar (unless the candidate is manually scheduled by the program for this event).
Waitlist Settings	Waitlists will be disabled when events are closed globally. Waitlists will remain disabled until the program sets their events as 'open'. A waitlist can be enabled or disabled (globally or manually) after the events are opened. Applicants will NOT BE ABLE TO SCHEDULE onto a disabled waitlist for a closed event.	A waitlist can be enabled or disabled on a private event, but applicants will NOT BE ABLE TO SCHEDULE onto the waitlist unless the event is made public (“Hidden/Private” option is disabled).
Global vs Individual Date Settings	GLOBAL and INDIVIDUAL Events can be closed by enabling this option manually on a specific interview date on the “calendar” page or by enabling the global option from the “program” page in the “calendar settings” section. A closed event will have a “closed door” icon at the bottom right hand corner of the event on the program calendar.	INDIVIDUAL only Private events can only be enabled or disabled by editing each interview date manually on the program calendar.

View more information on Closed vs Private events.

Step 1: Based on the chart above, select your preference of Option 1 vs. Option 2 and follow the instructions in the corresponding section below for your preferred option (Closed Events vs Private/Hidden Events).

Option 1: Inviting Applicants to a Closed Program Calendar

Step 1a: Build Calendar Events and set each event as closed individually.

Navigate to the Calendar page.
Select “Add Event”
Enter an Event Title
Set Date and Time of event
Set Private Hidden Event to “No”
Set Event Status set to “Closed.”
The Waitlist Status will default to “Disabled.”
Save the event.
Repeat steps 1-8 as needed for all events.

Already have events created? No problem, follow the steps below to edit the event:

Navigate to the Calendar page.
Click on the event you would like to edit.
Select “Edit”.
Set calendar settings using steps 4-7 above

Step 1b: Update Program Settings and set all events as closed at the same time.

Navigate to the Program page.
Find the “Calendar Settings” section.
Select “Edit.”
Select Closed under Events Status to
Save your settings

Step 2: Update Email Template

Navigate to the Email page.
Select the “Interview Invitation” section.
Select “Create New Template” or edit your existing Interview Invitation Template.
We recommend including the following text (please edit as desired):
Include information such as:
- “Our program is abiding by specialty guidelines. While you are receiving this invitation to interview through Thalamus, when you arrive on the calendar, you will see our interview dates and details, but they will initially all appear full. We will then open scheduling on (enter date + time), scheduling will be enabled on Thalamus, and availability will display in real time.”
- Applicants can view interview event dates and details
- Provide what date and time your program will be opening the dates for applicants to schedule

Step 3: Invite Applicants

Step 4: Make Calendar Events Visible to Applicants to Schedule

On the date and time your program has pre-determined and provided to the applicants, follow the below steps to allow the applicants to schedule:

Navigate to the Program page
Find the “Calendar Settings” section
Select “Edit”
Select Open under Events Status
Save the change. Your events will now be open and applicants will be able to schedule

OPTION 2: Inviting Applicants to a Private Program Calendar

Step 1: Build Calendar Events

Navigate to the Calendar page.
Select “Add Event”
Enter an Event Title
Set Date and Time of event
Set Private/ Hidden Event to “Yes.”
Set Events Status to “Open.”
Save the event.
Leave all other settings as is
Repeat steps 1-9 as needed for all calendar events