[01] Indooja Vasudevan, Faculty of Medicine, Melaka-Manipal Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Melaka, Malaysia. [02] Geraldine Priyadarshini Jentia, Faculty of Medicine, Melaka-Manipal Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Melaka, Malaysia. [03] Shashini Nuwanmini Fernandez, Faculty of Medicine, Melaka-Manipal Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Melaka, Malaysia. [04] Mohammed Abrar Abdul Wahab, Faculty of Medicine, Melaka-Manipal Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Melaka, Malaysia. [05] Maheasvaran a/l Sivarajan, Faculty of Medicine, Melaka-Manipal Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Melaka, Malaysia.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has interrupted medical students' clinical education. Hospital clinical exposure plays a vital role in a medical student’s life, therefore, this pandemic has caused students to face a challenge in balancing medical education, risk exposure and personal and environmental aspects. Due to the current circumstances, the willingness of students' desire to return to the clinical setting is highly influential by several factors. This study was designed to assess the perception and attitude of clinical year medical students to return to the hospital settings during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross sectional study was carried out from January 2021 till February 2021 in our college, Melaka University College Malaysia (MUCM). The students for this study were chosen using the purposeful sampling method in which they were asked to complete a validated online questionnaire that included multiple choice questions and perception questions, willingness to return, domains of exhaustion and disengagement and self regulated learning. The data was statistically analyzed using Epi Info version 7.0. Frequency tables, percentages, means, and standard deviation, odds ratio, Chi-square test and unpaired T test were included in the analysis. A total of 156 students took part in the study, with 119 (76.3 percent) preferring to return to the clinical setting and the remaining 37 (23.7 percent) preferring not to return to the clinical setting. Students who opted to return had higher scores in autonomous motivation, professional obligation, and a lower self-perception of the disease's likelihood of spreading. Those students who preferred to return had high scores in autonomous motivation, professional responsibility and a lower self-perception on the risk of fostering the disease. Overall, students’ preference to return was influenced by key factors including; risk to self and patients, motivation, burnout and professional responsibility. Procuring the views on students’ preference to return can help medical institutions address the obstacle and take the necessary steps to benefit both students and the health care system.

COVID-19, Preference, Medical Students, Perception, Cross-sectional Study, Malaysia

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