Impact of Covid-19 Lockdown on The Education and Clinical Training of The College of Health Sciences Students of A Tertiary Institution in Nigeria

Abstract

Background This study was mainly aimed at evaluating the impact of COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on the lectures and clinical training of College of Health Sciences' students in the south-western part of Nigeria. Materials and methods This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted between July and August, 2020 among the clinical students of a College of Health Sciences in Nigeria. The sample size was calculated using Leslie Kish formula and a convenient sampling technique was used. Data were collected through an online pre-designed questionnaire using google form. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 23. Results A total of 319 students responded to the survey giving a response rate of 76.1%. The median age of the respondents was 21 years (Range: 17 - 40 years) with a male to female ratio of 1:2.5. All the respondents had virtual lectures during this period while only 74 (23.2%) of them had clinical experience. Two hundred and twenty-one (69.3%) of them had test(s) or end of posting examinations. Only 33 (10.3%) respondents were able to perform promotional examination, of which 17(51.5%) passed. Two hundred and thirteen (66.8%) of them reported that they would not have been able to perform better in the college without clinical group discussions and 262 (82%) of them were eager to resume clinical rotation once COVID-19 lockdown was over. Conclusion In spite of the COVID-19 lockdown, most of the respondents were able to continue their didactic activities but their clinical experience was limited.