Program Overview
Introduction to the Medicine and Surgery Program
The Medicine and Surgery program at Sapienza University of Rome is a six-year course that aims to form "expert doctors" equipped with the scientific bases, theoretical and practical preparation, and professional competencies necessary for the exercise of the medical profession. The program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive education in medicine, including the biological, psychological, and social aspects of health and disease.
Objectives
The program has several objectives, including:
- Providing high-quality and safe assistance to patients, in collaboration with the patient and respecting the fundamental values of the profession.
- Assuming clinical decisions and performing preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic interventions within the scope of practice and with awareness of the limits of one's competence.
- Elaborating a correct decision-making process, taking into account individual variability, patient preferences, and the availability of resources.
- Utilizing scientific evidence and innovative technologies, integrating them for the benefit of the patient, in the complexity of prevention, diagnosis, and care processes.
- Implementing an updated, ethical, and efficient clinical practice, conducted according to the principles of teamwork and in collaboration with patients, their families, other health professionals, and the community.
- Designing and conducting one's own professional continuing education, so that one's competence remains aligned with the latest scientific research, critically evaluating its results.
- Applying the highest values of professionalism, fully adhering to the ethical principles of the profession and observing the rules of the Code of Ethics.
Description of the Educational Path
The program is organized into 12 semesters and consists of 360 University Formative Credits (CFU), of which at least 60 CFU are dedicated to practical training activities aimed at maturing specific professional skills. The course includes a three-month practical-valued internship, divided into three periods: one month in a surgical area, one month in a medical area, and one month in the field of general medicine.
Educational Methods
The teaching method used is interactive and multidisciplinary, with the integration of basic sciences and clinical disciplines, and early clinical involvement of students. The program includes:
- A first vertical path of a "biomedical" type, organized with the scheme of "inverted triangles" for the organization of basic, preclinical, and clinical training activities.
- A second vertical path of a "psycho-social" type, dedicated to medical-scientific methodologies and human sciences, with particular reference to bioethics, medical law, epidemiology, general hygiene, and occupational medicine.
- A third vertical path of a "technological" type, dedicated to the study of topics related to precision medicine, translational medicine, genomics, bioengineering, bioinformatics, and artificial intelligence in medicine.
Characteristics of the Course
The program has several characteristics, including:
- A multidisciplinary approach to programming objectives, programs, and teaching.
- An interactive and multidisciplinary teaching method, with the integration of basic sciences and clinical disciplines.
- A strong emphasis on the acquisition of competencies and skills related to the "know-how" and "being" of a doctor, through the involvement in the planning of basic research, the learning of semeiological bases of clinical sciences, and the frequency of hospital wards and territorial medical facilities.
- The use of modern didactic methodologies, including problem-based learning, clinical teaching, team-based learning, and the use of simulators and virtual patients.
- The valorization of the English language, with a minimum level of B2.
Evaluation of Students
The evaluation of students is based on a system of certification tests, which are reproducible, based on objective elements, and unbiased. The evaluation includes:
- Written exams with multiple-choice questions.
- Oral exams.
- Proofs of clinical reasoning through the use of clinical scenarios.
- Objective Structured Practical Examination (OSPE).
- Portfolio and logbook.
- Direct observation of procedural skills.
Profiles
The program offers two profiles:
- A "biomedico-psico-sociale" profile, which aims to form doctors with a multidisciplinary, interprofessional, and integrated vision of health and disease problems.
- A "biomedico-tecnologico" profile, which aims to form doctors with a multidisciplinary, interprofessional, and integrated vision of health and disease problems, with a strong emphasis on technological and engineering aspects.
Conclusion
The Medicine and Surgery program at Sapienza University of Rome is a comprehensive and interdisciplinary program that aims to form "expert doctors" equipped with the scientific bases, theoretical and practical preparation, and professional competencies necessary for the exercise of the medical profession. The program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive education in medicine, including the biological, psychological, and social aspects of health and disease.