Higher Semesters Research Articles

The analogous intraoral judgement of the abutment preparation angle is almost impossible! At least avoid undercuts.

A total occlusal convergence (TOC) angle (ϕ) of 6 degrees is a typical crown preparation requirement. It has been shown that this is difficult to achieve clinically. The present study therefore aims to compare the ability of students to judge different steepnesses, including a -1-degree undercut of prepared canines and molars, under clinical conditions with different analog tools. The complete dentures of a patient were duplicated without denture teeth 16, 23, 33, and 46. For each of these gaps, six crown stumps were milled with ϕ/2 = -1, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 degrees, each of which was insertable using mini-magnets. A total of 144 dental students, 48 students each from the 1st, 6th, or 9th semester, estimated these angles intraorally with various aiding tools: In addition to basic dental instruments, they used a parallelometer mirror, an analog clock dial with a 6-degree visualization, and a scale of tooth stumps with ϕ/2 between -1 and 15 degrees. The widely demanded 3 degrees were hardly recognized, but assumed to be steeper or even undercut. In contrast, the -1-degree divergent stump walls were predominantly estimated as parallel-walled or slightly conical. With increasing taper, the stumps tended to be classified as steeper, ie, "better." The additional tools did not result in a general improvement of the estimation performance. Students from higher semesters did not achieve better results. The present authors question the objectivity of an exclusively visual assessment of crown stump taper. It appears that dental training should at least focus on avoiding undercuts as the minimal prerequisite for an accurate intraoral scanning procedure. Digital control of the preparation angle by an intraoral scan and immediate clinical implementation of these results could help to produce appropriate preparations.

Training of young medical professionals: implementation of modern training concepts, taking into account the changed framework conditions for training—a pilot project for operational subjects

IntroductionFor years, generations of medical students have complained that practice-oriented learning is neglected in medical studies. Further training assistants also complain about limited opportunities to learn subject-specific practical activities.Material and techniquesWe are presenting a pilot project at the University Women’s Hospital in Homburg, in which medical students complete an endoscopic hands-on course as part of the block internship gynaecology and obstetrics. During the course the students perform classic skills training and hand–eye coordination exercises and learn the first steps in endoscopic suturing (suture and rows of knots). The training concepts used can be implemented on simple boxing trainers and can therefore also be reproduced in clinics or in a private setting.OutcomeAltogether, 73 medical students did participate in the laparoscopy course. We were able to prove that the knotting time for a simple knot can be reduced from an average of 247 s to 40 s (80%) after completing our training programme. Based on the evaluation sheet that the students filled out after the course, we found a very-high acceptance for surgical simulation training within the student cohort.DiscussionPractical surgical exercises can complement the curriculum well and, as we can show with our work, are rated very positively by the students. For students in higher semesters, such practical courses can also provide an insight into the respective subject area and thus counteract the lack of skilled workers in surgical subjects. The practical year should not be the first contact with these practical courses, as at this timepoint a certain favoured subject has often already being chosen by the students.

Comparison of Students' Satisfaction with Holding Electronic and Traditional Exams in Ferdows City Paramedical and Health Faculty

Introduction: Tests are one of the methods used in universities to measure and evaluate students' learning. Electronic and traditional tests have their unique strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to compare two methods of holding electronic and conventional tests from the perspective of students in the Ferdows Health and Para Medical School.
 Method: The current research was carried out in a cross-sectional-analytical way. 201 students were questioned for this research. In order to collect information, a researcher-made questionnaire was used. Its reliability is approved by experts and validity is measured by Kronbakh Alpha74%. Data were analyzed using STATA version 13 software and using descriptive and analytical methods.
 Results: The results showed that there was a significant difference between students' satisfaction with traditional and electronic tests (P < 0.05). And traditional tests satisfaction was more than electronic ones. Also, there was a significant relationship between students' satisfaction level and the academic semester in traditional exams (P < 0.05) so the average level of satisfaction of students in higher semesters is higher.
 Conclusion: Based on the study findings, students' satisfaction with the traditional test is more than the electronic test, so it is suggested that educational institutions take the necessary measures and plans in order to obtain satisfaction from students with the electronic tests and solve the problems of these tests.

The effects of a Lexical Approach-based EFL program using Moodle and student attitudes towards it

This exploratory-sequential mixed method study aims at investigating the impact of a specially designed Lexical Approach-based teaching program on the use and recognition of lexical chunks. Participants came from full-time and part-time Bachelor’s degree programs at Universities of Applied Sciences in Austria. The relationships between the use and recognition of lexical chunks and the semester participants attend (2nd, 4th, 6th) and their mode of study (full- or part-time) were examined. Additionally, the usefulness of Moodle for teaching the Lexical Approach was investigated. Quantitative data was collected by using questionnaires and by testing participants’ productive and receptive knowledge of lexical chunks through appropriate tasks. Qualitative data was obtained by conducting guided interviews. Results show that the exposure to the Lexical Approach was perceived as very relevant and useful by the learners. The same is true for the accompanying Moodle activities. Also, part-time students from higher semesters seem to be even more likely to profit from the teaching program focusing on the Lexical Approach. This implies that integrating the Lexical Approach into English language teaching is a most beneficial undertaking to support and improve learners’ EFL performance.

Missing topics for the newly established general practice-focused curriculum for medical students in Hessia/Germany: a mixed-methods approach.

Since autumn 2022, 6.5% of the newly assigned medical students in Hessia, Germany (Universities of Marburg, Frankfurt, and Gießen) receive admission to medical studies under the condition to pursue their future careers in the field of general practice in a rural area. Students are bound by contract to work in general practice for at least 10 years and will receive special extracurricular training during their studies at the university. Nationally, this system is without comparison. To optimise the special extracurricular training, we explore what topics need to be taught, or added to normal teaching, to best prepare the future GPs for their work in primary care. Furthermore, we enquire into methods to train the needed skills. We follow a mixed-methods approach. First, we have interviewed ten outpatient specialists in daily contact with general practice: namely specialists for orthopedy, urology, ophthalmology, and surgery. Furthermore, we conducted ten interviews with newly qualified as well as experienced GPs. Second, we performed three group interviews with medical students in higher semesters and three with GPs in training. Between these four groups similarities and differences will be analysed. We further plan a quantitative survey that will be given to 50 students and about 50 GP trainees allowing for validation and prioritising of our results. We will present our preliminary results divided into three sectors: which topics, methods, and competences should be taught. We have mainly found similarities on the three main factors in all interviewed groups, yet different perspectives result in varying prioritisations.

Educational needs assessment of medical and midwifery students about prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV: a cross-sectional study.

Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT), is an important way of acquired immune deficiency virus (AIDS) transmission. Medical and midwifery students need to have sufficient knowledge in terms of MTCT. The aim of this study was to evaluate the educational needs of these students regarding MTCT of HIV. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 120 medical (extern and intern) and midwifery Bachelor (semester 4 and above) and Master students in Gonabad University of Medical Sciences in 2019. The real needs questionnaire on MTCT AIDS and the perceived needs questionnaire on MTCT were used for need assessment evaluation. Majority of the participants were female (77.5%) and single (65%). Study participants included 48.3% medical and 51.7% midwifery students. High real educational need was reported by 63.5% of medical and 36.5% of midwifery students. More than half of the participants (59.2%) felt a great need for education on MTCT of HIV. OF the areas of real educational needs, the highest and lowest scores were related to the areas of prevention and symptoms, respectively. Students in higher semesters had the highest percentage of real need compared to other students (p = 0.015). The real need for MTCT of HIV prevention was higher among medical students compared to midwifery students (p = 0.004). The observed high real and perceived needs of students, especially in the higher semesters and the field of medicine, necessitates the re-examination of their educational curricula.

The Analysis Of The Effect Of Emotional Intelligence On Understanding Level In Programming Algorithm Learning

The course Algorithms and Programming in the Informatics Engineering study program is given in the first and second semesters, as this course is a scientific course that serves as a basis for advanced programming courses in higher semesters. It is often the case that intelligent graduates obtain good academic grades during their studies and become outstanding students, but when working in their field of expertise, their performance is not as good as graduates who had lower academic grades. Success is not only determined by intellectual intelligence (IQ), but also by other types of intelligence. Intellectual intelligence or cognitive intelligence is one type of intelligence, while non-intellectual intelligence includes other types of intelligence outside of cognitive intelligence. One of this non-intellectual intelligence is emotional intelligence. Intellectual intelligence and non-intellectual intelligence play equally important roles in supporting individual success.
 This research discusses the analysis of the effect of emotional intelligence on the level of understanding of algorithms and programming using the linear regression method implemented with an application. The sample taken is students of the Informatics Engineering study program in the third and fourth semesters. With the results of the influence of emotional intelligence on the understanding of Algorithms and Programming, it can provide a solution to improve students' understanding of the Algorithms and Programming course and other computer courses in the scientific field of the Informatics Engineering study program. The application is created using the Python programming language

Internet Addiction, Depression and Relation with Academic Failure in Students of Allied Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran

Background:Internet addiction, which is a result of increasing inevitable use of the Internet and smartphones, causes discomfort and serious social and occupational problems that can consequently lead to some mental disorders, such as depression. On the other hand, depression and Internet addiction are factors affecting students' academic performance.Objective:This study aimed to investigate Internet addiction, depression and their relation with academic failure in students of Semnan Allied Medical Sciences.Methods:In this cross-sectional study, all students who were in the 3rd and higher semesters were examined. Three questionnaires (demographic, Beck Depression Inventory, and the Internet Addiction Test by Young) were used. The academic failure was assessed using the student's grade point average in the previous 3 semesters. Collected data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics methods at the significance level of 0.05.Results:170 students participated in this study. The correlation between depression and grade point average changes was found to be negative (r=-0.19) and significant (p=0.01). Moreover, a positive (r=0.39) and significant (p=0.01) correlation was observed between depression and internet addiction scores. Binary logistic regression analysis also indicated that students' depression score (P=0.04, OR1.04, CI 95%=1-1.08) and sex (P=0.008, OR=0.37, CI 95% = 0.17-0.77) can predict academic failure.Conclusion:Due to the observation of internet addiction and depression in the students and effects of these disorders on their academic performance, it is necessary to educate students and families, identify risk factors and provide solutions to deal with them.

Evaluation of the Correlation between Spiritual Health and Depression in Dental Students of Clinical Stage in 2020

Introduction: The widespread prevalence of depression in society is one of the biggest concerns today. Spiritual health affects depression and plays an important role in improving the quality of life. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between spiritual health and depression in general and residency dental students of Islamic Azad University of Medical Sciences
 Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 166 students of 5th semester and higher were selected through census. Demographic questionnaires of Palutzian and Ellison spiritual health questionnaire and Beck depression questionnaire were used to collect data. Participants' information was entered into PASS statistical software version 11 and data analysis was performed using ANOVA tests and correlation coefficients.
 Results: In the study, 166 students were included by census. Among all the factors measured, marital status had a direct and significant relationship with spiritual health (P=0.022). Moreover, the history of physical and mental illness had an inverse and significant relationship with spiritual health (P=0.034). Educational status and history of physical and mental illness had a statistically direct and significant relationship with depression (P=0.014, P=0.064). People who had no history of physical or mental illness and were married had higher spiritual health, and people who studied in higher semesters and had a history of physical and mental illness had more depression. Finally, spiritual health and depression showed an inverse and significant relationship (P≤0.0001).
 Conclusion: A study of the results obtained from dentistry students showed that there was a significant and inverse correlation between spiritual health and depression.

Investigating Fear of Obtaining Dental Services and Related Causes in Medical Students of Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences in 2020

Introduction: Fear of dentistry causes problems for the patient and the dentist and can reduce the pain threshold, use fewer services or avoid treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate fear of obtaining dental services and related causes in medical students of Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences inYazd City in 2020. Methods: 191 students participated in this descriptive-analytical study. The dental fear survey (DFS) and a questionnaire to assess the causes of dental fear were used. Data were analyzed by SPSS 16 software, ANOVA and T-tests. Results: The results showed that dental students had the lowest level of fear and nursing students had the highest level of fear. Fear of dentistry was higher in women than men and the average fear score decreased among the students in higher semesters (fifth semester students) (P<0/05). Fear of dentistry was related to some factors such as economic status, oral health, history of anxiety disorders and the time since the last visit (P = 0.001). The most common factors influencing this fear were corona fear, dental work with pain, needle fear, price fear, and turbine fear. Conclusion: Fear of obtaining dental services was influenced by major, gender, semester, time since the last visit to the dentist, history of anxiety disorders, economic status and oral hygiene among medical students, but marital status had no effect on the level of fear.

Study of suicidal thoughts and intentions with regard to job stress among female medical students living in dormitory with a mental health promotion approach.

Medical students are exposed to stresses which have irreversible consequences, such as suicidal ideation. The present study aimed to investigate the level of occupational stress in medical students and its relationship with the prevalence of suicidal ideation and attention among them and then provide mental health promotion approaches. This cross-sectional descriptive study was performed on 325 undergraduate medical students residing at the dormitory of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. The sample size was determined by the census method. Osipow and Suicide Behaviors Questionnaires were used to measure job stress and suicidal ideation, respectively. The condition of entry into the study was living in the dormitory and spent at least one semester. Linear regression and logistic regression were used to examine the relationship between variables. The mean score of occupational stress among students with a mean age of 21 (±2.18) years was 158.84 (±27.07) and 60% (n = 180) of students had high levels of stress. There was a significant relationship between age and educational level with stress level and suicidal ideation (P < 0.05). They had the highest effect on stress (P = 0.031) and suicidal ideation (P = 0.001), respectively, among students. High level of stress was 11.829 times more likely to have suicidal thoughts than low-stress level (P < 0.001). Stress and suicidal ideation are much higher in students of lower semesters and lower ages than students with higher semesters. Students should learn how and with what approach to control and manage exposure to stressors. Measures such as holding stress management training courses as well as managing stressful situations are among the effective measures in improving mental health and reducing stress levels and its effects.

Educational Impact on Ecuadorian University Students Due to the COVID-19 Context

The mobility restrictions imposed in different countries due to the pandemic of Sars-CoV2 has hugely impacted different areas in the world. In this work, impacts on the social areas of Ecuadorian university students such as education, economy, physical and mental health, and access to telecommunications are analyzed. For this work, in a snapshot between May to September 2020, 1841 students from 6 public and 5 private universities from Ecuador were surveyed through 47 questions, which were grouped into 7 mutually exclusive dimensions. The Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the correlations between the responses of the questions and the relations between dimensions. Dimensional relations were used to analyze how students perceive online classes, teachers’ preparation, mood, and the impact on their learning process due to their decreasing family income. Among the most important results, we found that 63.78% of students want to return to on-site classes regardless of their conditions of Internet connection and their available learning tools (computers, tablets, or cellphones). The results also show that family income has influenced how students access the Internet, Internet connection, technological resources for online learning, and mood. Regarding the relations between variables, we found that older students and students from higher semesters think that online classes are better than face-to-face classes and want to continue in online education.

Physical activity and the transition from school to university: A cross-sectional survey among university students in Germany

The transition from school to university may be accompanied by different changes in lifestyle. We aimed to investigate whether students’ physical activity (PA) differs between school and university and which role change of residence plays. We analyzed data on 689 university students (69.5% female; mean: 22.7 years). The majority changed PA compared to school (less: 45.4%, more: 36.5%). Among those who were at the beginning of their studies and those who changed residence for the start of studies, the proportion of individuals having reduced PA was higher compared to their reference groups of students in higher semesters and students having not changed residence, respectively. Students visiting their hometown more frequently and staying there during semester break were more likely to have reduced PA. Students who changed residence for starting studies seem to be a vulnerable group future intervention campaigns should focus on. Supporting those students to stay physically active during studies may be important to help them starting an active and healthy work life after graduation. Additionally, freshmen at universities may need more support to have the opportunity to stay physically active. La transition de l’école à l’université peut être accompagnée par des changements de mode de vie. Nous avons cherché à déterminer si l’activité physique des étudiants diffère entre l’école secondaire et l’université et quel est le rôle joué par ce changement de lieu de vie. Nous avons analysé les données de 689 étudiants (69,5 % de femmes ; âge moyen : 22,7 ans). La majorité des étudiants a changé son niveau d’activité physique en comparaison avec l’école secondaire (moins : 45,4 %, plus : 36,5 %). Parmi ceux qui débutaient leurs études et ceux qui ont changé de lieu de résidence pour aller à l’université, la proportion de ceux qui ont réduit leur activité physique était plus élevée que chez les étudiants plus anciens à l’université et chez les étudiants n’ayant pas changé de lieu de résidence. Les étudiants qui rentrent chez eux plus fréquemment et qui y séjournent pendant les vacances étaient plus susceptibles d’avoir réduit leur niveau d’activité physique. Les étudiants qui ont changé leur lieu de résidence pour leurs études supérieures semblent être plus vulnérables et devraient être la cible de futures campagnes d’intervention. Aider ces étudiants à rester physiquement actifs pendant leurs études peut être important pour les amener à adopter un style de vie sain et actif dans la vie professionnelle. En outre, les étudiants de première année à l’université peuvent avoir besoin de plus de soutien pour rester physiquement actifs.

Implementation of Advanced Product Quality Planning in Engineering Project

Engineering Design (ED) process is the foundation on which Automobile Engineering students currently base their project work. Though efficient in addressing the primary academic requirements, it is nevertheless open ended and hence the methodology for project execution will differ from team to team. ED at higher semesters, in the author's perspective, is less structured and feel there is a need for a defined industrial methodology based on ED, especially to address the needs of automobile engineering students. This requirement can be fulfilled by Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP), a framework of procedures and techniques followed by the automotive industry worldwide. An attempt was made to implement APQP on experimental basis in a project titled Solar Array Electric Vehicle. The following four stages were incorporated in the project: Plan and Define Program, Product Design and Development, Feedback and Corrective actions and Control Plan Methodology. This paper highlights the scope, implementation methodology and results of application of APQP in Solar Array Electric Vehicle project.

Effective Teaching - Learning Practices Adopted in Signals and Systems (SAS) Course

As the course Signals and Systems (SAS) is loaded with abstracts, concepts, mathematical analysis and applications, students need to remember, analyze, compare, interpret and apply the concepts to solve problems. Students find it difficult to comprehend&understand abstract concepts. The course is pre-requisite for many engineering courses such as Control systems, Analog communication, Digital communication, Digital signal processing, Image processing, Speech processing etc., which the students study later in their higher semesters. It is therefore very essential that students be taught this course in such a way that they learn and retain the content of the course for a longer period. So teaching SAS course effectively for engineering students is a big challenge. In this paper an analysis of the various levels of difficulties generally students face while undergoing this course is made. A systematic action plan implemented to address each of these difficulties is discussed. Finally analysis of Course Outcomes before and after implementing effective Teaching-Learning Practices is presented.

"Product Development" - a New Learning in Open Ended Experiment

Nowadays many educational institutions are adopting outcome based education system, wherein active participation and learning of students is involved. This paper reports OBE based learning experience as a part of laboratory experiments in the field of analog electronics at 3rd semester. Theory of analog electronic circuits will be well understood only if students conduct series of experiments from simple to complex circuits using various analog components. Also, if students are taught to develop small products at primitive level, it will help them to carry projects till product realization in higher semesters. This motivated us to keep product development exercise as a part of open ended category along with generating a datasheet for the said product, which requires active learning and involvement of the students throughout the development life cycle of a product. This paper presents the experiential learning in developing 5V power supply as a part of open ended experiment. This helped students not only to understand the product design cycle and also helped to improve their circuit debugging skills as well as in designing PCB's along with generating data sheet for a given specifications at 3 rd semester level.

Enquiry Based Approach for Enhanced Learning in DBA Laboratory: A Case Study

This case study of categorized laboratory is basically to explore the effectiveness of structured enquiry in database application laboratory to encourage inquiry for the undergraduate students of Information Science & engg department. Enquiry based learning approaches enhance student's learning as compared to the conventional method. In enquiry based approach all the experiments are classified into four categories such as demonstration, exercise, structured enquiry and open ended experiment. During the year 2012-13 and 2013-14 batches, students are compared with respect to their exam score, understanding of concepts, analyzing and implementing the studied concepts, database design and the nature of problem statement given in the laboratory. All the batches are given with different set of unique problem statements to avoid plagiarism and that really encouraged the students to study DBMS subject in depth, and also stimulated them to choose data mining and information retrieval subject, data engineering theme to build the capstone projects in their higher semesters. This enquiry-based laboratory conduction has enhanced the students learning skills, stimulated to acquire content knowledge, problem solving skills, asking questions, and coming up with alternate design approaches for given problem. The results of this two years study give us a clear differentiation that inquiry based approach is better for students to acquire in depth knowledge and problem solving skills as compared to traditional approach where there was no categorization of lab experiments.

Evaluation of nursing students' communication abilities in clinical courses in hospitals.

Background:Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) has established, improving communication as a priority for improving patient safety since 2006. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate nursing students’ communication abilities to recognize their strengths and weaknesses in communication skills.Method:This cross-sectional study was carried out in 2014. The study participants included all the nursing students who passed two semesters in Fatemeh School of Nursing and Midwifery in Shiraz, Iran. The students’ communication skills were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. Then, the data were entered into the SPSS statistical software (v. 16) and analyzed using both descriptive (mean and percentage) and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation and ANOVA).Results:Among the 200 students who completed the questionnaires, 58% were female and 42% were male with the mean age of 21.79 years (SD=2.14). The results of Pearson correlation analysis demonstrated a significant correlation between the nursing students’ clinical communication behavior scores and treatment communication ability scores (P<0.001). The findings demonstrated that most nursing students required improvement in their communication skills in both clinical communication behavior and treatment communication ability. Besides, a significant difference was observed among the students of different terms regarding clinical communication behaviors (P≤0.05), but not concerning communication abilities. Nursing students in higher semesters had better communication skills.Conclusions:The results showed that nursing students in this university had a moderate ability in clinical and treatment communication. Thus, paying attention to standard education, curriculum revision, and adding some specific theoretical lessons for improving communication skills are mandatory during the bachelor’s degree.

Health providers' compliance with pregnant women's Bill of Rights in labor and delivery in Iran.

Background:Delivery is one of the most important crises with mental, social, and deep emotional dimensions in women's life. Health providers’ respect to pregnant women's Bill of Rights, as an important component of providing humanistic and ethical care, is of utmost importance. This study aimed to determine health providers’ compliance with the pregnant women's Bill of Rights in labor and delivery and some of its related factors in 2013.Materials and Methods:This descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out on the subjects selected through census sampling (N = 257) from among the healthcare providers working in the labor rooms of four educational hospitals. The data were collected by a self-reported questionnaire whose validity and reliability were established. Data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics.Results:The compliance with pregnant women's Bill of Rights was found to be at a very high level in 22.8% of the midwifery students, 28.6% of the residents of obstetrics and gynecology, 21.9% of the interns, 50% of the obstetrics and gynecology faculty members (professors), and 31.9% of the midwives. There was a significant difference between the five groups of service providers in terms of overall compliance with mothers’ rights (P = 0.002). The results showed that the residents in higher years of education (P = 0.001), midwifery students in higher semesters (P = 0.001), midwives with more work experience (P < 0.001), and personal experience of being hospitalized in labor room (P < 0.001) had a higher compliance with Bill of Rights. Meanwhile, there was no significant difference in compliance with Bill of Rights between labor and age (P = 0.82).Conclusions:The results showed that the health providers’ compliance with the pregnant women's Bill of Rights was not acceptable in the labor room. Therefore, necessary actions are needed to remove the barriers against pregnant women's compliance of Bill of Rights and to facilitate the compliance with it in hospitals.

From freshmanship to the first "Staatsexamen"--increase of depression and decline in sense of coherence and mental quality of life in advanced medical students

Psychiatric disorders (Burnout, depression, anxiety disorders) are common among medical students with a distinctly higher prevalence compared to the general public. Although medi-cal students show a normal health status at the beginning of their university study period, a deterioration of these aspects in higher semesters is evident and continues when they become residents. In our study ESTRELLAS we examined 530 medical students in the preclinical semesters (1st-4th) before their first "Staatsexamen" with validated psychological questionnaires for depression, anxiety, quality of life and sense of coherence. Students in their 1st semester show normal values like the general public. During the 4 semesters a slow and continuous rise of depressive symptoms and anxiety was detected. Quality of life and sense of coherence constantly deteriorated. An increase of physical symptoms was not detected. In the 4th semester the number of depressive students had already doubled. The development of worsening psychological problems and resulting psychiatric disorders seems to be a continuous process, starting with the beginning of the medical studies and growing continuously during the preclinical semesters. Effect-ive strategies for coping with distress should be integrated in the medical curriculum at universities from the very first semester on. Relaxation techniques could thus be an opportunity.