The mission of the degree in Medicine and Surgery is to prepare doctors with a sound scientific, professional and ethical culture, in order to allow an integrated multidisciplinary vision of problems concerning community health and be a cultural basis for continuity in an essential education for accepting scientific knowledge progress towards future medicine.
The single cycle masters degree in Medicine and Surgery consists of a total of 360 ECTs (university credits), distributed over a six year course, at least 60 of which attainable through practical training.
One ECT consists in 25 hours of students’ commitment, including 8 hours of lessons or 20 hours of traineeship.
The didactical method contemplates a horizontal and vertical integration of knowledge. It’s based on a sound cultural and methodological basis obtained in studying pre-clinical subjects and then mainly focused on problem solving skills, on early contact with patients, on a good clinical ability and successful human relationship.
In the first 2 years basic pre-clinical subjects (chemistry, physics, statistics, biology, genetics, biochemistry, anatomy, physiology) prevail: they are finalized to understanding biological complexity and human body functioning in normal conditions and to getting a scientific methodology which is useful for a correct translational medicine application.
On this cultural and methodological basis, first characterizing subjects (pathology, immunology, microbiology) begin to be taught: they teach pathological processes and their etiology.
During the last 3 years, students learn mainly clinical subjects, with their substantial practical training in hospital and on the territory, with teachers’ tutoring. They learn also Public Medicine (preventive medicine, forensic medicine, bioethics, occupational medicine, health economics), for correct public health management, ethical principles and medical doctors’ legal responsibilities
The qualifying characteristics of Medicine and Surgery graduates include:
- a multidisciplinary and integrated vision of most common health and illness problems and the ability to independently analyse and resolve problems related to medical practice together with a good clinical practice based on scientific evidence (evidence based medicine)
- ethical and social responsibilities awareness
- independent judgement
- good communication skills
- constant updating of knowledge and skills and possessing the methodological and cultural foundations necessary for continuing professional development
This mission is coherent with Dublin Descriptors, with Institute for International Medicine Education (IIME), Task Force for Assessment, “The TUNING Project (Medicine) – Learning Outcomes/Competences for Undergraduate Medical Education in Europe”, with DM 16/03/2007, art. 3 comma 7.