Educational goals

The aim of the Degree Programme is to train a doctor who is able to operate on a modern medinic that ranges from the promotion of health and a correct lifestyle, to the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of diseases also in international contexts. To meet this objective, the training course includes: 1. a strong integration between the disciplines that has a double advantage: it leads the student to a unitary vision of a complex system, and allows the teachers themselves to carry out a more organized teaching focused on the relevance of each objective in the framework of human biology; 2. topics of relevance such as humanistic culture of medical interest, community-oriented education and local medicine, health promotion understood not only as a cure for illness but also as a psychic well-being of the individual and intercultural mediation; 3. a solid organization of the practical internship that begins during the third year but will be preceded by attendance in the virtual hospital so that the students, at the time of entry into the hospital and the approach to the clinic, already have a solid foundation in semiotics; 4. in addition to institutional credits, the course of study also includes elective teaching activities that allow the student to deepen some topics and to play an active role such as laboratories, exercises, small group teaching, interdisciplinary seminars, Problem-Based Learning, Problem Solving, discussion of clinical cases, e-learning; Some activities that integrate and deepen the institutional offer are also offered by the colleges; 5. The course of study is carried out entirely in English. English promotes the mastery of international medical terminologies, it is useful for consulting publications and databases for interaction with foreign colleagues for both care and research purposes, and for interaction with foreign patients. The course of study in English attracts students from abroad, creating a multicultural environment in the student community that fosters the development of communication skills essential for the Doctor. Knowledge of the English language promotes the mobility of students and teachers to and from foreign universities, helping to train professionals accustomed to operating in an international context. Student mobility to and from countries of the European Community and non-EU countries is facilitated by the Erasmus program, which is highly developed at our university and which sees the course of study in medicine in English in first place. The qualifying characteristics of the doctor to be trained include: Good human contact skills (communication skills); Self-learning and self-assessment skills (continuing education); Ability to analyze and solve problems related to medical practice together with good clinical practice based on scientific evidence (evidence based medicine); Habit of constant updating of knowledge and skills, and possession of the methodological and cultural bases suitable for the autonomous acquisition and critical evaluation of new knowledge and skills (continuing professional development); Good practice of interprofessional and interprofessional education; In-depth knowledge of the methodological foundations necessary for a correct approach to scientific research in the medical field, together with the autonomous use of information technologies indispensable in clinical practice. In order to achieve the above-mentioned educational objectives, the course of study is divided into 6 years and includes a total of 360 credits, of which at least 60 are to be acquired in training activities aimed at developing specific professional skills. The first year provides the student with the introduction of the basic concepts of the medical profession (Basic Sciences) and the acquisition of basic knowledge of biochemistry and physics and of the tissue, molecular and structural organization of organs. The second year leads to the knowledge of the normal functioning of the organs, through the integration of the knowledge of anatomy acquired during the first year with the physiology and pathophysiological mechanisms underlying tissue damage and the main microorganisms responsible for diseases. The knowledge is integrated with the ethical values that underpin the medical profession. From the third to the fifth year, the preparation aimed at the acquisition of clinical skills, through integrated courses in which diagnostics, clinical, surgery, pathological anatomy and pharmacology are treated in an integrated way, and through the corresponding clinical practices. The sixth year focuses on the student's clinical reasoning skills, applying the knowledge and scientific method previously learned to the examination of clinical and surgical cases and to territorial medicine. The sixth year is planned to allow the student to complete the practical internship in view of entering the world of work but also to complete the training by finalizing the original speculative skills based on the scientific method. In summary, the six-year training course includes activities related to basic sciences, preclinical sciences, clinical medical-surgical sciences, communication, health promotion and medical ethics. The key words of the teaching method adopted, useful for the achievement of the expected qualifying characteristics, include the horizontal and vertical integration of knowledge, a teaching method based on a solid cultural and methodological basis achieved in the study of pre-clinical disciplines and subsequently mainly centered on the ability to deal with problems (problem oriented learning), early contact with the patient, A good acquisition of clinical skills together with a good acquisition of human contact skills. A highly integrated, flexible and modifiable teaching organization has therefore been planned, a real laboratory of scientific experimentation, with the intention of promoting in students the ability to acquire knowledge not in a fragmented but integrated way, and to keep it alive not only in the short but also in the longer term. The student is therefore considered the pivot of the training process, both in the didactic design and in the improvement of the entire curriculum, in order to enhance the autonomy of initiative. A solid foundation of clinical knowledge is also ensured to the student through the organization of certified internships based on tutorial teaching, together with a strong understanding of the medical-scientific method and the humanities. In our opinion, true professional competence can only be achieved after a long period of contact with patients. In the didactic project of our master's degree course, the right balance of integration is proposed between: 1) basic sciences, which must be broad and provide for the knowledge of evolutionary biology and biological complexity aimed at the knowledge of the structure and function of the human organism under normal conditions, for the purpose of maintaining health conditions, 2) clinical and methodological medical practice, which must be particularly solid, through a wide use of tutorial teaching capable of transforming theoretical knowledge into personal experience and building one's own scale of values and interests, 3) human sciences, which must constitute a useful background to achieve the awareness of being a doctor and the ability to practice the profession in the socio-economic context to which they belong. Many of the essential contents of our Didactic Project, already activated in this way since the academic year 1999-2000, anticipate and integrate the European specifications for global standards in medical education of the World Federation on Medical Education on the subject of basic international standards and quality development in the field of biomedical education (WFME Office, University of Copenhagen, 2007). The peculiar characteristics of the Degree Course in Medicine and Surgery aimed at achieving the specific objectives are summarized as follows: Within the framework of the provisions of current legislation, the programming of objectives, programs, and teaching is multidisciplinary. The teaching method implemented is interactive and multidisciplinary, with the daily integration of basic sciences and clinical disciplines and an early clinical involvement of the students, who are immediately oriented to a correct approach with the patient. The problems of the basic sciences and those of the clinical field are therefore addressed in all the years of the course (total integration model), although in different proportions, but with a unitary and strongly integrated vision, also through the use of multi-voice teaching. Choice of the specific objectives of the basic courses made primarily on the relevance of each objective in the framework of human biology, and on the prerequisites with respect to current or foreseeable clinical issues, with particular attention to the component concerning scientific methodology. Choice of the specific objectives of the characterizing courses made primarily on the basis of epidemiological prevalence, urgency of intervention, possibility of intervention, severity and exemplary teaching. It is also planned to enhance the frequency in hospital wards and outpatient clinics of local structures and to enhance the relationship with the patient, also from a psychological point of view. The teaching process makes use of modern teaching tools, consisting of a tutorial system, clinical trigger, problem-oriented learning, experiencial learning, problem solving, decision making and extensive use of seminars and conferences. An educational laboratory has been set up that can be used by teachers for the disciplines of the preclinical three-year period, where students can, in small groups, gain practical laboratory experience. The practical activity of the Anatomy course has been made accessible to all students through the adoption of the "Anatomage" anatomical simulation table. All the classrooms used for the lessons of the Course of Study have been equipped with equipment for recording the lessons and remote connection, including the classrooms used for the graduation sessions. Finally, the clinical practice activity has been rescheduled in order to include more hospitals and more operational units in the educational offer and, in this way, allow small groups of students to carry out, without overcrowding, practical hospital internships throughout the year. Tutors are predominantly used who collaborate in the student's educational process with teaching (area tutors) and support (personal tutors) functions to students. Particular attention is paid to the acquisition of practical skills, through: 1) involvement in the planning of basic research in the first three years of the course, 2) learning of the semeiological bases of clinical sciences at the bedside and in the laboratories in the intermediate period (professional internship organized as a guided tutorial activity with certification of the level of ability, in the third year of the course), 3) attendance of university wards and clinics (clinical clerkship - with certification by the tutor of the skills achieved from the fourth to the sixth year of the course) and territorial, such as those of General Practitioners (optional from the fourth year of the course, compulsory in the fifth and sixth years), for the completion of the clinical internship in the last years of the course and the internship period for the purpose of preparing the thesis 4) participation in research programs during the internship period for the purpose of preparing the degree thesis. Particular attention is given to computer and multimedia methodologies also through e-learning, e-learning and telemedicine experiences, and to the correct use of bibliographic sources. Establishment of the integrated course of SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATIONS OF MEDICINE which includes epidemiology, statistics and history of medicine, and the teaching of DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH, necessary for the knowledge of medical methodology and its rules according to the principles of evidence-based medicine, and for the clinical methodology applied to the individual patient. These courses immediately orient students towards a humanistic education, which will accompany them in the scientific-professional training process. This training will allow them to refine their skills and acquire the correct and innovative means of clinical reasoning. This will be done through the applications of 'evidence-based medicine', evidence-based teaching through the use of 'guidelines', 'concept maps' and 'algorithms'. Topics related to interdisciplinarity and interprofessionalism, health economics, medical professionalism, social and legal responsibility of doctors, social and gender perspectives, relations with so-called complementary and alternative medicines, prevention, education of chronic patients, addiction pathologies and palliative care for the terminally ill will also have to be addressed. The gradual acquisition of the method is accompanied by the humanistic training of the students. In this way, they can grow from a scientific point of view and also develop a greater sensitivity to ethical and socio-economic problems, which allows them to interact with the patient in his entirety as a sick man, according to the conception of whole person medicine. In this way, we respond to the growing need for a rapprochement between the figure of the doctor and that of the sick man, who are increasingly distancing themselves from a uniquely technological medical practice. In this context, we also tried to use the so-called narrative medicine, together with reflection grids, and the technique of role-playing as important tools in the acquisition of true emotional and professional competence by the student. A course on sustainability has been included in the curriculum for both the medical and surgical paths in consideration of the importance of the problem of economic-environmental sustainability in modern society. This course allows the Harvey Course of Medicine and Surgery to align itself with the major European medical schools. Student evaluation also takes place through ongoing assessments (self-assessment tests and mid-term interviews), written reports by students on assigned topics, and through the evaluation of the overall profile developed on the basis of predefined criteria. The exams can be articulated - in addition to the traditional oral or written exam - also in a sequence of items useful for verifying the acquired knowledge (knows and knows how) such as multiple-choice tests or short written answers organized on problems or clinical cases of an interdisciplinary nature, followed by exams useful to ascertain the clinical skills acquired. As a general rule valid for all integrated courses, formal assessments will be based on written tests possibly followed by oral tests. The transition to the next year of the course is established by the achievement of a number of credits, predetermined by the Teaching Council of the course, and reported in the Textual Teaching Regulations. Students who do not reach the established credits are enrolled as repeaters. This rule allows students to make up for credits and exams not taken and to realign with class courses in the following year. Therefore, there are no students who are out of course as in other degree courses. Students who experience difficulties are guided and advised by student tutors and a committee made up of teachers who identify problems and help students overcome them.

Career opportunities

The course of study provides professionalism in the field of family medicine and hospital medicine with the potential to reach top positions in the organizational and managerial context. Job offers in the health sector, in fact, are progressively increasing and the shortage of medical personnel is currently one of the main health problems not only in Italy but also in the international context. The international dimension of the course and the in-depth study of issues related to health in its entirety make the graduate in Medicine and Surgery ready to undertake international paths of specialization, work and research. The main career opportunities of the Surgeon can be identified in: - Specialist medicine in hospitals or specialist centres, public or private clinics, national and international health and humanitarian organisations; - General medicine; - Management in the healthcare sector; - Clinical research in universities, IRCCS; - Public or private research institutions. In addition, the international dimension of the course and the presence of topics related to global health make the graduate in Medicine and Surgery ready to undertake international specialization, work and research paths.

Admission requirements

In order to be admitted to the single-cycle master's degree course, students must have an upper secondary school diploma required by the regulations in force, or another qualification obtained abroad, recognized as suitable by the competent bodies of the University. The number of places assigned, the date of the admission test, the content and the methods of carrying out the selection are determined annually by Decree of the MUR and are reported in the call for applications. Admission also requires adequate initial preparation and knowledge of the English language. The methods for verifying the knowledge of the English language and the knowledge required for admission are defined in the Didactic Regulations of the course. The prerequisites required of the student who wants to enrol in a degree course in medicine should include: good ability to human contact, good ability to work in a team, ability to analyze and solve problems, ability to independently acquire new knowledge and information by being able to evaluate them critically (Maastricht, 1999). In addition to the scientific knowledge useful for attending the first year of the course, the student should therefore also possess good attitudes and valid motivational components, important for the formation of a 'good doctor' who knows how to relate correctly to the required social responsibilities. The procedures for making up for any gaps and educational deficits of the student (to be filled in any case within the first year of study) are governed by the Didactic Regulations of the single-cycle master's degree course.