Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Caribbean Medical Students: A cross-sectional study

The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced a wide range of challenges to numerous institutions around the world. One of these vital programs being affected is Caribbean medical schools. To continue to train future physicians, Caribbean medical schools have been forced to deliver lectures through video chat, delaying clinical training years as well as exams. Reveal current shortcomings in medical education to improve future learning strategies based on student perspectives. To further explore the impact of COVID-19 on medical training in the Caribbean, a cross sectional designed survey was constructed and made available for completion to numerous 2nd, 3rd and 4th year medical students between the dates of Feb 2nd, 2021, and April 1st, 2021. Students reported being less time efficient and paying less attention during online lectures. Many students reported having their Comp, Step 1, Clinical rotations, and research projects delayed because of the lockdown. Most students ranked 10/10 on anxiety and depression scores during the lockdown. The changes made to the Caribbean Medical school system due to the Pandemic have shown to be less effective than previous methods of instruction. It is crucial for programs to consider this for the future to optimize learning and continue to produce highly trained medical professionals even in the face of adversity.