· 6 min read
Thalamus Interview Guide: Scheduling, Video and Practice
How a Thalamus residency interview works: your account, invitations, scheduling, interview day on Thalamus Video, tech checks and how to practice on video.
A Thalamus interview is a residency or fellowship interview scheduled through Thalamus, the free platform most ERAS programs use. Finish your account from the email Thalamus sends after you register in MyERAS, book a date from each invitation, and on interview day join every session from your itinerary. Thalamus Video runs in Chrome or Edge with nothing to install, so test your camera, microphone and connection early and practice answering on video.
What Thalamus is
Thalamus is interview management software for graduate medical education. Its scheduling tool, Thalamus Core, is where programs send invitations and where “Applicants can self-schedule, instantaneously confirm interview dates and take full control of their schedules.” Through a collaboration with the AAMC, ERAS programs get Thalamus Core at no cost, and the AAMC reports: “More than 90% of ERAS-participating programs used Thalamus to manage the interview process in the 2026 ERAS season.” For applicants, Thalamus says “No, Thalamus products have always been, and continue to be, complimentary to applicants.”
Thalamus Video is a separate product, and not every Thalamus interview happens in it.
Programs pay extra for Thalamus Video
“For an additional fee, programs may also elect to purchase Thalamus Video, the Thalamus virtual interview platform.”
Some programs use Zoom, Teams or Webex
“Programs may choose to host interview sessions using Thalamus Video or a third-party video conferencing platform such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Webex.”
What Thalamus Video supports
When a program does use it, the platform supports “Unlimited concurrent interview, group and breakout rooms.” and “The software is entirely web-based, requiring no installation for faculty or applicants.”
Your account, invitations and scheduling
“When an Applicant registers for MyERAS, a Thalamus Applicant account is automatically created for the applicant with the applicant AAMC ID.” “Your Thalamus Applicant Account must be finalized in order to login to Thalamus and access any interview invitations, interview events, and to view interview itineraries.” These steps take you from that email to a booked date:
1. Set up your account
When you register in MyERAS, Thalamus creates an account tied to your AAMC ID and emails you a link to finish it. Reminders come every 15 days and the link expires after 60, so finish it early. If a program outside ERAS invites you, the link is in that first invitation. Thalamus is free for applicants.
2. Get the invitation
The invitation arrives by email and on your Thalamus dashboard. Programs label each date as virtual, in person or hybrid.
3. Pick a date
Choose a date on the calendar and press Confirm Interview. A blue checkmark and a confirmation email mean you are booked. Picking a new date for the same program replaces the old one.
Email, push and text alerts
Invitations and confirmations come by email whatever you set, since “All email notifications are on by default and can't be turned off, except the Interview Reminder email.” You can add push and text alerts in App Settings. If an invitation came but the calendar looks empty, Thalamus says “If calendar dates are not visible, verify the Calendar filters under Programs.”
Full dates and waitlists
If a date is full and the program has waitlists on, you see Join Waitlist on it. How pooled and ordered waitlists notify you is in our residency interview waitlist guide.
Rescheduling and canceling
To move a date, pick a new one for the same program, and “you do not need to cancel first”. “Some programs may limit when interviews can be canceled or require a reason for cancelation.” Notice, wording and the rules are in how to cancel a residency interview.
Interview day on Thalamus Video
An interview day can have several sessions, and each one has its own Join Session button. Here is the order of the day in Thalamus Video:
Open your itinerary
Sign in, go to the Schedule page and select the interview. The itinerary can list each session and its time, your interviewers' names, attachments and the link for every session. You can print it. Source
Press Join Session
Allow camera and microphone access, check the devices it picked, then select Join Meeting. Your browser remembers these settings on the same device. On a Mac you may also need to allow the browser in macOS privacy settings. Source
Pick a background if you want one
On the web you can blur your background or upload an image before you join. The phone app offers backgrounds but not blur yet. Source
Wait for the interviewer
Their video appears on its own when they join. Programs can send notifications or a virtual knock to tell you a session is starting or ending. “If you're the first person in the room, you'll see a message indicating that no other participants have joined yet.” Source
Watch the time
The Meeting Details menu shows the time left, and the phone app shows a countdown. A banner near the end is your cue to wrap up and ask your question. Source
Hang up and join the next session
Each interview is its own session. Select Hang Up when one ends, go back to the itinerary and join the next one when it starts. If you leave by accident, rejoin from the same place. Source
The virtual knock and the next session
The end-of-session banner is the virtual knock. Programs set when it shows, and it reads “You have X minutes left of this meeting”. “The default time is 5 minutes.” On the phone app, “A countdown timer on the call screen displays the time remaining in the session.” Between sessions, “If you have additional interview sessions scheduled, return to your itinerary and join the next meeting when it begins.” The rest of the day is in what happens on residency interview day.
Tech check before the day
Test early, in the real room if you can. Before the day, check these:
Browser and device
Use Chrome (Thalamus recommends it) or Edge on a computer. Safari works with some limits, and on a phone use the Thalamus app instead of a browser. On browsers, “Safari is supported, but some features may be limited because Thalamus Video uses Zoom's Web SDK.” Use Windows 10 or 11 or macOS 14 or 15.
Camera and microphone
Nothing to download. Allow camera and microphone access, and close Zoom or Teams so they don't hold the camera.
Test run
Test in a published room or with the program before the day. On a weak laptop or connection, turn on Compatible Mode. Thalamus suggests two ways to test. First, “If the program you are interviewing with has published your itineraries, you can access those video rooms without causing any issues on your interview day.” Second, programs “Many of them are willing to join a video room with you to test the platform before interview day”, or run a tech check on the morning itself.
Connection and backup
Wired internet if you can, no VPN. If you drop, rejoin from your itinerary. If video fails, dial in with the phone number and PIN in the session.
The time banner
Watch for the "You have X minutes left" banner (5 minutes by default). It is your cue to wrap up and ask your question.
Compatible Mode
Compatible Mode shows fewer video streams for older devices and slow connections, and “Compatible Mode can be used by anyone accessing Thalamus Video.” You can tick it on the Join Meeting page or turn it on in Settings during a call.
If video fails during an interview
“Ensure you have your phone nearby.” The phone dial-in keeps you in the room by audio while you fix the rest. In order:
Restart the room
Hang up, close every browser, quit Zoom, Teams or other video apps, then sign back in and rejoin.
Switch browser
Try the latest Chrome or Edge, the two browsers Thalamus recommends.
Fix the connection
Move closer to the router or plug in an ethernet cable, and turn off a VPN or firewall if you can. Interviewing from a hospital? “Guest networks at hospitals/institutions may not have the required bandwidth to support an adequate video connection or may be configured to block video streaming.”
Turn on Compatible Mode
Settings in the room has a Compatible Mode switch. It shows fewer video streams so the call runs more smoothly.
Dial in by phone
Use the phone number and PIN on the Schedule page or in the Meeting Details menu to stay in the interview by audio.
Use another device
Join the same room from the Thalamus app on your phone or a second computer.
Report it afterward
Email customercare@thalamusgme.com with the time, your device, browser and network, and a full-screen screenshot if you have one.
How to practice for a Thalamus video interview
The platform is the easy part. The bigger job is answering well on camera. The AAMC suggests “If possible, record yourself so you can get a sense of your positioning on screen, eye contact, sound quality, and whether you're fidgeting”. Its other virtual interview tips, in our words:
- Practice on the same device and setup you will use, and record yourself.
- Camera at eye level, light in front of you, a plain or blurred background.
- Look at the camera, not the faces, when you answer.
- Silence notifications, charge the device and give the program a backup phone number.
- Log in early, hide self-view if it distracts you, and mute in group sessions.
Try one question the way it will come on a Thalamus call: “Why are you interested in our program?” Name one real thing you learned about the program and connect it to what you want from training. On video, say it to the camera, not the screen. Our guide to the why this program question goes further, the residency interview practice page has questions by specialty, and our residency interview questions guide covers the rest.
Sources, all checked October 23, 2026
Sources: Thalamus, the AAMC-Thalamus collaboration and its FAQs, Thalamus Video, the Thalamus help center on accounts, notifications, scheduling, canceling, using Thalamus Video, the mobile app, testing, preparing, Compatible Mode, troubleshooting and the virtual knock, and the AAMC on preparing for a virtual interview. Confetto is not affiliated with Thalamus or the AAMC. All checked October 23, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How do Thalamus interviews work?
Thalamus is the scheduling platform most ERAS residency and fellowship programs use, and it is free for applicants. A program invites you, you pick a date on the Thalamus calendar, and on interview day you join each session from your itinerary, in Thalamus Video or a Zoom, Teams or Webex link.
Do I need to download anything for Thalamus Video?
No. Thalamus Video runs in the browser, built on Zoom's Web SDK, so you need Chrome or Edge on a computer and permission for your camera and microphone. On a phone, Thalamus recommends its app instead of a mobile browser.
How do I join my Thalamus interview on interview day?
Sign in, open the Schedule page, select the interview and press Join Session in the itinerary. Allow your camera and microphone, check the devices and select Join Meeting. After each session, hang up and join the next one from the itinerary.
How do I reschedule or cancel a Thalamus interview?
To reschedule, pick a new date for the same program and confirm it. Thalamus swaps the dates for you. To cancel, open the interview and select Cancel. Some programs limit when you can cancel, and then you contact the program. How to cancel a residency interview.
What if my video freezes during a Thalamus interview?
Hang up, close your browsers and video apps, and rejoin. If it keeps freezing, turn on Compatible Mode in Settings, switch to a wired connection, or dial in with the phone number and PIN shown in the room. Afterward, email Thalamus customer care with the details.