Professional Development Needs of Virology Laboratory Personnel in Cross River State

Virology laboratory personnel are central to the diagnosis, surveillance, and response to viral infectious diseases, yet systematic assessment of professional development needs in this workforce is lacking in Nigeria's South South zone. This study identifies the professional development needs of virology laboratory personnel employed in public hospitals and reference laboratories in Cross River State. A cross-sectional survey will recruit 150 laboratory scientists, technicians, and biosafety officers working in virology-related diagnostic roles across Calabar, Ikom, and Ogoja health zones. A structured needs assessment questionnaire will evaluate current competency levels across technical domains (molecular diagnostics, biosafety, quality management, specimen handling), identify self-reported skill gaps, assess preferred training modalities, and document the frequency of in-service training received in the past three years. Supervisors will complete a complementary observational checklist on observed technical performance gaps. National laboratory workforce surveys indicate that molecular virology competencies are the most underrepresented in public sector laboratory personnel in southern Nigeria. Findings will generate a competency gap profile for Cross River State's virology laboratory workforce and provide a structured training needs document for the State Ministry of Health to advocate for targeted virology laboratory capacity building under the Nigeria Laboratory Systems Strengthening programme. Keywords: professional development, virology laboratory, Cross River State, laboratory capacity, training needs