Effects of reducing senior clinical requirements

Area of Science:

• Dental Education
• Medical Training
• Student Well-being

Background:

• Dental school curricula often involve extensive clinical requirements.
• High requirements may contribute to student stress and anxiety.
• Evaluating the impact of modified requirements is crucial for optimizing training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of reduced dental clinical requirements on student outcomes.
• To compare the academic performance and stress levels of students under modified versus conventional requirements.

Main Methods:

• A modified clinical requirement system was implemented for an experimental group (27 students).
• Requirements focused on essential experiences with point-based awards for all procedures.
• A control group (97 students) followed the conventional requirement system.
• Data collected included daily clinic grades, comprehensive exam performance, GPA, procedure counts, and a year-end questionnaire on stress and anxiety.

Main Results:

• No significant differences were observed between groups in daily grades, comprehensive examination performance, GPA, or the number of procedures completed.
• The experimental group reported significantly lower stress and anxiety levels.
• Students in the modified system had more positive perceptions of performance evaluations and experienced less pressure.

Conclusions:

• Reducing dental clinical requirements can decrease student stress and anxiety without compromising academic performance or the number of procedures completed.
• Modified requirement systems may enhance the overall student experience and well-being in dental education.