International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences | January 2022 | Vol 10 | Issue 1 Page 210 International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences Khan IA et al. Int J Res Med Sci. 2022 Jan;10(1):210-216 www.msjonline.org pISSN 2320-6071 | eISSN 2320-6012 Original Research Article Perception of medical interns and residents about specialty of microbiology and the role of microbiologists during COVID-19 pandemic Imran Ahmed Khan 1 , Amresh Kumar Singh 2 *, Kamran Zaman 3 , D. K. Shrivastava 1 INTRODUCTION Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, India emphasised on the 'test, track, treat and tika (vaccine)' strategy to deal with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), while appealing to states with rising coronavirus cases to take proactive steps to prevent a third wave if it has to occur. Testing is done through RTPCR in specialized microbiology labs by personals trained in clinical microbiology. Though it’s a multifaceted field, there is minimal awareness among the people about this compelling field and the task played by the microbiologist. Career in medical field begin as students being undifferentiated and postgraduate training ends 1 Department of Community Medicine, 2 Department of Microbiology, BRD Medical College, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India 3 Scientist E, ICMR, Regional Medical Research Centre, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India Received: 16 November 2021 Revised: 07 December 2021 Accepted: 09 December 2021 *Correspondence: Dr. Amresh Kumar Singh, E-mail: amresh.sgpgi@gmail.com Copyright: © the author(s), publisher and licensee Medip Academy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ABSTRACT Background: The speciality of microbiology is closely associated with keeping people healthy and disease free by accurate diagnosis of infectious diseases. In spite of this, awareness about the speciality seems to be scarce. In the present scenario, public perception about microbiology has been changed a lot. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has highlighted the crucial role of microbiologists in the health care system. The aim of this survey was to determine the perceptions of medical interns and residents regarding the specialty of microbiology and the role of microbiologists in maintaining and promoting health of people. Methods: On-line survey using google form to identify perception of medical interns and residents about the speciality of microbiology. Results: A total 298 valid responses were obtained response rate 26.02% from the participants among them 167 (56.0%) were male and 131 (44.0%) females. Though, the attitude of medical interns and residents were found positive for the speciality of microbiology, they even recognize the importance of medical microbiology in their future role as medical practitioners, but only few (3.48%) wished to opt it as their career. Conclusions: The risks and responsibilities of a microbiologist involved in managing patients seldom get due acknowledgement. Adequate measures need to be taken to enlighten the authorities about microbiology and various responsibilities of microbiologists. The health care providers and medical teachers needed to appreciate the perception of young medical students regarding current and future trends in specialty choice and take concrete steps to meet the unmet need of health care. Keywords: Microbiology, Infectious diseases, SARS-CoV-2, Microbiologist DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20215056