Background Residents Doctors (RDs) and consultants carry out the most specialised medical care. The strain of their job predisposes them to the three domains of burnout: Emotional Exhaustion (EE), Depersonalisation (DP), and diminished Personal Accomplishment (PA). Globally, this public health crisis has worsened with the overwhelming effect of COVID-19 on health systems. Aim This study assessed the prevalence and associated factors of burnout among RDs and Consultants in tertiary hospitals in Delta State, Nigeria during the pandemic. Methods A cross-sectional design was employed. Previously validated instruments were used to collect data via an online survey. The questionnaire was sent to physicians selected by multistage sampling. The proportion of participants with a high grade in each of the domains of burnout was obtained. Stepwise analyses from bivariate to multivariate were done to obtain adjusted odds ratios. Results The prevalence of high-grade burnout in EE, DP, and PA was 35.1%, 13.2%, and 33.3% respectively. Relative to those ≤ 30 years, the age group 41 – 50 years had less likelihood of high EE (AOR 0.050; 95% CI 0.004 – 0.651). Other independent predictors of high EE were manageable workload (AOR 0.094; 95% CI 0.027 – 0.328), reward for work (AOR 0.427; 95% CI 0.205 – 0.892), and good leadership (AOR 0.525; 95% CI 0.113 – 0.929). Conclusion This study suggests that the determinants of burnout among RDs and consultants are mainly contextual factors in the work setting. Promoting an institutional culture of leadership, a manageable workload, and appropriate rewards could help control physician burnout.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

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Ethical clearance was obtained from the Health Research Ethics Committee of Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara, nigeria (Approval Number HREC/PAN/2021/037/0426).

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