MSc in Medicine and Surgery taught in Italian

New campus in Venice

The MSc programme in Medicine and Surgery lasts six years.

The main objective of the MSc in Medicine and Surgery is to train professionals in the field of medicine who are competent in all aspects of medical science. These professionals should be able to undertake different types of specialised training related to different branches of medicine and to perform their role within the various organisations of the national and international health system. They should also be able to engage in continuous learning and professional development processes.

The mission of the MSc in Medicine and Surgery is to train future doctors by providing them with a solid knowledge in biology and physiopathology. Future graduates should be able to manage all phases of the clinical pathway, using skills acquired through an interdisciplinary programme developed in different medical fields. This programme will be characterised by the centrality of the individual as the focal point and an anthropological understanding that recognises the dignity of the human person, paying particular attention to the reality of the sick and the value of suffering.

Special attention will also be paid to Gender Medicine, defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the study of the influence of biological (sex-defined), socio-economic and cultural (gender-defined) differences on the health and health status of each individual. The aim is to fully integrate this perspective into the training of future doctors, making them competent as well as aware of the centrality of a gender-specific approach in the processes of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

The characteristics of the doctor to be trained include:

• Good interpersonal skills (communication skills);
• Ability to self-learn and self-evaluate (continuing education); graduates should have developed the learning skills to continue learning in a self-directed manner, critically evaluating information and new knowledge;
• Optimal management of a good archive of their medical practice for subsequent analysis and improvement;
• Ability to independently analyse and solve problems related to medical practice and good clinical practice based on scientific evidence (evidence-based medicine);
• Ability to correctly collect, organise and interpret health and biomedical information from various available resources and databases, such as clinical data management systems;
• The habit of updating knowledge and skills and the methodological and cultural foundations for the autonomous acquisition and critical appraisal of new knowledge and skills (continuing professional development);
• Good practice in interdisciplinary and interprofessional working (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 technology indispensable in clinical practice and an understanding of the applications as well as limitations of information technology;
• Demonstrate basic skills and appropriate attitudes in teaching others;
• Demonstrate good sensitivity to cultural and personal factors that enhance interactions with patients and the community;
• Communicate effectively both orally and in writing;
• Summarise and present information appropriately to people and be able to discuss achievable and acceptable action plans that represent priorities for individuals and the community.

PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
MSc in Medicine and Surgery graduates will practise as medical surgeons in a wide range of clinical, health and biomedical professional roles and settings. Professional opportunities typically available to graduates in Medicine and Surgery include:

• Universities and research centres;
• Hospitals and specialist centres;
• National and international health organisations;
• Public and private clinics.

A Master’s degree is also a prerequisite for access to medical specialisation schools, doctoral programmes as well as other Master’s programmes.

Teaching mode and activities

This involves both horizontal and vertical integration of knowledge, a teaching method based on solid cultural and methodological foundations obtained in the study of pre-clinical disciplines, and subsequently focused mainly on the ability to face problems (problem-oriented learning, problem-solving), patient interaction, good acquisition of clinical skills, together with good acquisition of human contact skills.

This multidisciplinary approach makes it possible to improve, without substituting, medical skills, thus improving diagnostic and clinical performance in medical practice.

In order to achieve this goal, the educational organisation will be strongly characterised by the presence of integrated teaching, with the intention of promoting the ability to acquire knowledge not in a fragmented way but in an interdisciplinary way, and to apply it in the solution of “case studies”, also with a view to lifelong learning.

The ability to learn will be assessed through written and/or oral examinations. Students will also be assessed through tests (self-assessment tests and interim interviews), written reports by students on assigned topics and through the evaluation of the overall profile developed on the basis of predefined criteria. A consistent method of assessment will be favoured throughout the curriculum, especially in integrated courses consisting of several teaching modules. Examinations may be structured (in addition to traditional oral and/or written examination methods) according to a sequence of items suitable for verifying acquired knowledge, such as multiple-choice tests or short written answers organised around interdisciplinary problems or clinical cases, followed by examinations to assess acquired clinical skills. The assessment of acquired knowledge will focus on placing basic concepts in a multidisciplinary context.

The student is placed at the centre of the educational process, both in the planning of teaching and in the improvement of the curriculum as a whole, with the aim of encouraging personal initiative. Genuine professional competence can only be achieved after a long period of patient contact, which is encouraged from the fourth year onwards and is integrated with basic and clinical sciences throughout the educational process through extensive use of tutorial activities. The organisation of the curriculum is designed to combine a solid preclinical training with a clinical training required for the practice of medicine.