Prerequisites for admission.

Admission to the degree programme is subject to the possession of a secondary school diploma or equivalent suitable qualification obtained abroad.
Admission to the programme is subject to the passing of an entrance exam set in line with the laws in force concerning health professions and the nationally programmed access (Law 264/99) and the relative call for admissions issued by UNIMORE.
Knowledge required for admission is deemed to be appropriate for all candidates obtaining a minimum of 20 points in the entrance exam, as laid down in Ministerial Decree no. 85 of 5 February 2014.
Candidates not achieving this score shall be assigned additional learning requirements (OFA) to be completed by attending the remedial courses indicated by the degree programme.

Skills associated with the function

The competences learned by the students offer them a wide range of employment opportunities, from perfusion to direct assistance to physicians in the most specialist invasive and non-invasive haemodynamic and electro-physiological treatments. They may also provide consulting to biomedical industries and collaborate with major cardiological companies. They are professionals with highly specialist competences including remote monitoring. These graduates are health professionals who autonomously provide technical care activities in compliance with the law. They must have: - appropriate grounding in basic disciplines ensuring an understanding of the most important elements underlying physio-pathological processes - knowledge of the main legislation governing the exercise of their profession and the relative medical and legal implications;- the ability to establish effective and ethical cooperation with users and other professional figures in a care team where their professional competence is required.
In particular employment perspectives lie in:
- Non-invasive Cardiology Technician
- Haemodynamics Technician
- Electrophysiology Technician
- Extracorporeal Circulation Technician
- (ECMO) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation technician

Function in a work context

The competences learned by the students offer them a wide range of employment opportunities, from perfusion to direct assistance to physicians in the most specialist invasive and non-invasive haemodynamic and electro-physiological treatments. They may also provide consulting to biomedical industries and collaborate with major cardiological companies. They are professionals with highly specialist competences including remote monitoring. These graduates are health professionals who autonomously provide technical care activities in compliance with the law. They must have: - appropriate grounding in basic disciplines ensuring an understanding of the most important elements underlying physio-pathological processes - knowledge of the main legislation governing the exercise of their profession and the relative medical and legal implications;- the ability to establish effective and ethical cooperation with users and other professional figures in a care team where their professional competence is required.
Graduates in cardio-circulatory physio-pathology and cardiovascular perfusion techniques
must have competences in all aspects of invasive and non-invasive cardiology.
Within the health profession cardio-circulatory physio-pathology and cardiovascular perfusion techniques
graduates are healthcare professionals with the responsibilities laid down in the Decree
of Ministry of Health DM no. 316 of 27 July 1998 and amendments.
They run and maintain equipment for
cardiological diagnostics, extracorporeal circulation and
haemodynamics. A particularly important, integral and qualifying part of their
professional training includes the practical and clinical internship, performed under the supervision and
guidance of professional tutors, coordinated by a professor
specialised in this professional profile. Their tasks are
exclusively technical, supporting medical staff in appropriate settings, providing
essential indications and, always under medical instruction, using equipment for
cardiovascular diagnosis and support to cardio-circulatory functions. The employment perspectives include:
- extracorporeal circulation in heart surgery
- diagnostics and antiblastic treatment in oncology,
- cardiological rehabilitation
- cardiological activities in haemodynamics centres, electrophysiology and all non-invasive cardiology clinics,
- in the community, in instrumental diagnostics supported by e-medicine,
- in production industries and sales, university and non-university biomedical laboratories.
They may also perform studies and research, teach or support all activities demanding their
specific professional skills. They perform tests to assess cardio-respiratory functionality (spirometry)
- They manage computerised systems for the transmission and management of cardiological exams;
- They perform ECG exams with quantitative
fluximetric evaluation of the cardio and/or vascular system;
- They perform instrumental controls on patients with pacemakers or
implantable defibrillators.
- they perform instrumental diagnostic procedures in day hospital and/or using e-medicine and
cardiac telemetry instruments
- They manage cardio-circulatory and respiratory care;
- They use normothermal and hyperthermal extracorporeal methods for
pelvic, peritoneal, thoracic, limb and liver antiblastic treatment.
- They apply protocols for organ conservation and transport management
- They apply extracorporeal dialysis techniques
- They manage the intra-operatory methods of plasmapheresis, preparation of platelet gel and fibrin glue
- They run and maintain equipment for
extracorporeal circulation, haemodynamic techniques and non-invasive cardiology;
- They manage ECG and
Holter equipment and tachy-brady arrhythmia recording systems.
- Guarantee the correct application of the required support techniques
- Guarantee the correct application of the diagnoses and prescribed treatments
- They autonomously manage extracorporeal circulation and haemodynamics on
patients using a heart-lung machine
- They guarantee blood oxygenation and systemic perfusion
- They apply cerebral protection techniques in operations affecting cerebral arteries
- They record extracorporeal circulation data on the clinical notes
- They take decisions concerning the legal and ethical dimensions of
health organisation and professional responsibility;
- They take part in the production of guidelines applied to the procedures in compliance
with the principle of safety and quality (clinical risk management)
- They use quality assessment and review methods and instruments;
- Give patients and their significant others thorough
information on their health status;
- They cooperate in teaching and tutoring activities for basic training and lifelong learning
- They recognise and respect their own role and skills and those of other members of the healthcare team
establishing cooperative relations;
- They interact and actively cooperate with interprofessional teams;
- They deliver health education and prevention actions among the healthy population.

Educational goals

Graduates of the degree programme in cardio-circulatory physio-pathology and cardiovascular perfusion techniques
are health professionals who autonomously provide technical care activities in compliance with the law.
They must have:
- appropriate grounding in basic subjects allowing them to understand the most important elements underlying physio-pathological processes
- knowledge of the main rules governing the profession and the relative medical and legal implications;
- ability to establish effective and ethically correct relations with patients, other professional figures working in the care team in which they provide their services.
Graduates in cardio-circulatory physio-pathology and cardiovascular perfusion techniques
must have competences in all aspects of invasive and non-invasive cardiology and heart surgery.
In particular:
- they perform tests to assess cardio-respiratory functionality (spirometry);
- they manage computerised systems for the transmission and management of cardiological exams;
- they perform ECG exams with quantitative fluximetric evaluation of the cardio and/or vascular system;
- they perform instrumental controls on patients with pacemakers or implantable defibrillators;
- they perform instrumental diagnostic procedures in day hospital and/or using e-medicine and cardiac telemetry instruments;
- they manage cardio-circulatory and respiratory care;
- they apply protocols for organ conservation and transport management;
- they manage the intra-operatory methods of plasmapheresis, preparation of platelet gel and fibrin glue;
- they run and maintain equipment for extracorporeal circulation, haemodynamic techniques and non-invasive cardiology;
- they manage ECG and Holter equipment and tachy-brady arrhythmia recording systems;
- they guarantee the correct application of the required support techniques;
- guarantee the correct application of diagnoses and prescribed treatments;
- they autonomously manage extracorporeal circulation and haemodynamics on patients using a heart-lung machine;
- they guarantee blood oxygenation and systemic perfusion;
- they apply cerebral protection techniques in operations affecting cerebral arteries;
- they record extracorporeal circulation data on the clinical notes;
- they take decisions concerning the legal and ethical dimensions of health organisation and professional responsibility;
- they take part in the production of guidelines applied to the procedures in compliance with the principle of safety and quality (clinical risk management);
- they use quality assessment and review methods and instruments;
- they provide patients with important and updated information on their state of health, in their own field of competence;
- they cooperate in teaching and tutoring activities for basic training and lifelong learning;
- they recognise and respect their own role and skills and those of other members of the healthcare team, establishing cooperative relations;
- they interact and actively cooperate with interprofessional teams;
- they deliver health education and prevention actions among the healthy population.
The curriculum includes:
Year 1 – aiming to provide basic biomedical, hygiene and preventive knowledge and the fundamentals of the professional discipline, as requirements for managing the first internship experience, offering guidance to students in their referred professional fields and aiming to acquire basic skills.
Year 2 – aiming to advance knowledge of cardiological operations, vascular diagnostics, pneumology, general and thoracic surgery, paediatric and adult heart surgery. They acquire professional skills concerning the performance of ECGs, cardio-respiratory functionality tests, extracorporeal circulation for adults and children. Internships offer practical experience of different contexts, in which students are able to experiment the acquired knowledge and techniques.
Year 3 - specialist studies aiming to acquire knowledge and methodologies for professional practice, team-working skills and the ability to work in a complex organisation. The importance of the internship increases, and students experiment the gradual increase of their own autonomy and responsibility under supervision. They acquire competences and methodologies for scientific research to support the production of the dissertation.
The vocational internship, the duration and ECTS allocation of which increase progressively over the three years, is performed in contexts allowing students to experiment the knowledge and techniques learned in each year of the degree programme under the supervision of tutors, who support the students in the exercise of their profession in a responsible, autonomous manner.

Communication skills

Graduates in cardio-circulatory physio-pathology and cardiovascular perfusion techniques must be able to:
- Establish professional relations, working with other health professionals aware of the specific character of each role.
- Demonstrate effective communication with users and other professionals.
- Act as a guide for collaborators and students, including the delegation and supervision of care activities delivered by others and ensuring compliance with quality and safety standards in the planning and management of care;
- Effectively use verbal, non-verbal and written communication to convey technical evaluations and decisions to interdisciplinary healthcare teams;
- Cooperate with the care team to apply and develop protocols and guidelines.
- Communicate effectively with patients, relatives and other professionals to provide the best possible health care.
Learning methods and activities, teaching tools to develop the learning outcomes:
• lectures, videos and critical analysis of films, simulations, narration and testimonials;
• discussion of cases and interpersonal situations in sub-groups with presentations in plenary sessions, internship with experiences supervised by tutors in different contexts with debriefing sessions to reflect on and process experiences with users and the team.

Making Judgements

Graduates in cardio-circulatory physio-pathology and cardiovascular perfusion techniques are able to take professional and operational decisions in their specific working context concerning their own professional autonomy as laid down by law. This includes specific and behavioural skills such as:
- analytical and synthesis skills
- constructive criticism and self-assessment with a view to continuing improvement
- ability to define the specific objectives of their own actions, selecting the appropriate methodology
- they ability to assess the obtained results
- recognition of the need for cooperation, seeking the support of other professional figures to ensure the full satisfaction of user needs;
- recognition and respect for cultural diversity and specificity
- awareness of working in professional practice in line with the laws in force and following the specific ethical rules of the profession
- recognition of the possible communication styles in interpersonal relations to constantly facilitate effective communication indispensable for multi-professional team work and ensure mutual trust with users, in full respect of specificities and diversity
- Responsibility for own professional actions in line with the profile and the code of ethical conduct.
- Demonstration of a spirit of initiative and autonomy.

Learning skills

Graduates in cardio-circulatory physio-pathology and cardiovascular perfusion techniques shall:
- be able to continue to learn
- have acquired effective study methods, used to continue university studies, including the ability to enter the labour market at the end of the three-year programme;
- be able to understand scientific literature in the English language;
- know how to consult data and information and other on-line information on pertinent topics;
- undertake responsibility for their own professional advancement and respond to the continuous changes in knowledge and health and social needs
- be able to constantly integrate their professional knowledge, with constant attention to new knowledge and scientific developments
- assess their own knowledge through self-learning and lifelong learning.
Learning skills are evaluated through continuous assessment during the learning activities, combining the knowledge acquired during the specific activities with that achieved through personal study, evaluating the critical contribution shown during seminars and clinical internships, as well as the evaluation of the self-learning skills developed during the activities in preparation of the final examination.

Knowledge and understanding

Generic Area
Graduates in cardio-circulatory physio-pathology and cardiovascular perfusion techniques shall, through theoretical and practical activities demonstrate knowledge and understanding in the following fields:

- biomedical sciences to understand the physiological and pathological processes linked to health and cardiovascular diseases in different age groups, investigating the diagnostic and therapeutic aspects with particular attention to their specific techniques;
- ethical, legal and sociological sciences to understand the organisational complexities of the health system, the importance and utility of acting in compliance with laws and directives and the respect of values and ethical dilemmas of everyday practice; they shall also understand professional autonomy, as well as the areas of interaction and interdependence with other workers in the team;
- hygiene and preventive sciences for understanding the health determinants, risk factors, individual and collective prevention strategies to promote the safety of healthcare workers and users, with particular attention to radio-protection;
- computer studies and languages, with a particular focus on the English language to understand scientific literature;
- the bases of methodology and research to design research programmes and apply their results to improve the quality of treatment.

Applying knowledge and understanding

Generic Area
Graduates in cardio-circulatory physio-pathology and cardiovascular perfusion techniques must be able to autonomously apply their knowledge and operational techniques to exercise the profession. For this purpose, graduates must be able to use the knowledge acquired, exploiting their understanding obtained through individual study and the vocational knowledge gained during internships.
Specifically graduates must demonstrate the ability to:
- develop strategic approaches to their work, using expert sources of information;
- use a range of consolidated techniques to initiate and critically analyse information and propose the relative solutions;
- be responsible for providing and assessing technical health care in compliance with professional and quality standards considering the legal implications and ethical responsibilities, as well as the rights of the patient;
- use assessment techniques to gather data precisely on the key health problems of their patients;
- assess the results in terms of strategic approach;
- assess the progress of the techniques used in cooperation with the interdisciplinary team;
- facilitate the development of a safe environment for patients;
- perform research, study, teach
- work with a view to the continuing improvement of the quality of their own work
- contribute to the growth and development of their own profession
The teaching tools used to achieve the ability to apply knowledge include intense laboratory work stations and internships working with patients, which is very important in this profession, as well as the design, production and presentation of assignments and scientific works individually or in groups.
Assessment of knowledge and understanding is based on periodical tests during the internship and the relative exams, aiming to check the acquisition of manual, technical and operational skills in the various clinical activities performed by this professional profile.