Online Teaching of Final-Year Medical Students during COVID-19 Pandemic: Merits and Challenges

Objective: To explore the fresh medical graduates' perspectives regarding online teaching of clinical subjects in the final year MBBS program during the COVID-19 pandemic.Study Design: Qualitative research with exploratory study design. Place and Duration of the Study: Punjab Medical College (PMC), Faisalabad Medical University (FMU), Faisalabad, from January to June 2022.Methodology: Semi-structured, open-ended, in-depth interviews were used to collect data from fresh medical graduates of PMC, FMU, who had experienced online teaching from March 2020 to May 2021, during their final year of undergraduate medical degree. Fourteen graduates, selected on the basis of non-probability purposive sampling, were interviewed. The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. An iterative process was employed in data collection and analysis. Thematic analysis was used to interpret data. Manual coding was done inductively and the codes were synthesised into categories and themes with consensus.Results: Four themes emerged including advantages, disadvantages, challenges, and suggestions for improvement. Comfort, efficient learning, self-directed learning, and flexibility were the categories of advantages. The disadvantages theme had three categories including deficient clinical skills, demotivation, and unprofessional behaviour. Infrastructure limitations, distractions, and digital illiteracy came up as the main challenges. The students suggested the use of a hybrid model and simulated patients for improvement of the online teaching experience.Conclusion: Fresh medical graduates consider online teaching a convenient and efficient method of learning theoretical concepts in clinical subjects, during their final year. However, the lack of contact with patients results in deficient clinical skills in their opinion.