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 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

Midwife
Midwifery graduates have the following professional skills
- Manage the physical, psychological and social needs and diagnose the assistance needs of women, couples and the community in a range of socio-health fields,
- Monitor maternal and foetal well-being during physiological pregnancy
- Assist women during labour, birth and physiological post-partum situations
- Provide assistance during physiological births autonomously, including where necessary and episiotomy
- Provide care to the newborn child
- Plan, manage and assess obstetric-gynaecological care
autonomously, in physiological and preventive settings, and in cooperation with the
specialist in pathological situations;
- Within their field of responsibility, participate in health and sex education programmes targeting families and the community, prenatal preparation, preparation of and support to obstetric and gynaecological interventions.
- Manage obstetric and gynaecological care needs requiring preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative competences in specific sectors of ultra-specialist gynaecology and obstetrics including breast cancer, pelvic support problems, sterility, infertility, metabolic and infectious diseases
- Assess the clinical signs of gynaecological, obstetric and neonatal pathologies, reactions to the stage of illness, operations performed on admitted patients, or on a day-hospital and day-surgery basis, as well as home care.
- Identify potentially pathological situations requiring medical intervention and, where required, can handle the relative emergency measures.
- Support good relations, informing patients on the problems of family planning according to the principle of responsible maternity and paternity, pregnancy and births, also towards other ethnic groups and their cultural specificities, using counselling skills.
- Deliver reproductive health education programmes to women, couples and the community, specifically concerning sexually transmitted diseases (STD). - Deliver educational programmes aimed at the prevention of female genital and glandular cancer using information and methods they are skilled in (e.g. breast self-examinations, smear tests, etc.)
- Contribute to the training of nursing and support staff, working directly
to develop their own professional skills and research work.

Function in a work context

Midwife
Midwifery graduates are health professionals with the responsibilities laid down in the Ministry of Health Decree no. 744 of 14 September 1994 and amendments; they assist and advise women during pregnancy, childbirth and early maternity, overseeing spontaneous deliveries and assisting the newborn child. The care activities are based on prevention, cure, palliative care and rehabilitation, covering all technical, interpersonal and educational aspects. Within their field of competency, midwifery graduates participate in health and sex education programmes for families and the community; preparation for childbirth; preparation and assistance in gynaecological operations; prevention and verification of female genital cancers; mother and infant care programmes. In competence with professional ethics and as members of the healthcare team, the also manage the care activities under their responsibility. They are able to identify potentially pathological situations requiring medical intervention and, where required, can handle the relative emergency measures. Graduates may provide their professional services in public and private healthcare facilities, working as employees or freelance professionals; they contribute to the development of their own skills and those of support staff, assuring their own lifelong learning and conducting research.

Educational goals

At the end of the three-year programme, graduates must be able to:
- manage the physical, psychological and social needs and diagnose the assistance needs of women, couples and the community in different socio-health environments, integrating theoretical and practical knowledge to respond to such needs technically and scientifically, also for foreign users;
- manage obstetric and gynaecological care needs requiring preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative competences in specific sectors of ultra-specialist gynaecology and obstetrics including breast cancer, pelvic support problems, sterility, infertility, metabolic and infectious diseases etc.;
- support good relations, informing patients on the problems of family planning according to the principle of responsible maternity and paternity, pregnancy and births, also towards other ethnic groups and their cultural specificities, using counselling skills;
- deliver reproductive health education programmes to women, couples and the community, specifically concerning sexually transmitted diseases (STD);
- deliver educational programmes aimed at the prevention of female genital and glandular cancer using information and methods they are skilled in (e.g. breast self-examinations, smear tests, etc.);
- identify the social and health needs of pregnant women and provide information aiming to resolve any conflictual situations concerning drug abuse, poverty, disabilities etc.;
- verify the clinical signs of women's biological and sexual cycle;
- verify the specific clinical signs of pregnancy;
- plan, provide and assess gynaecological and obstetric-neonatal care to healthy and sick patients as part of an integrated
healthcare system, promoting positive and healthy lifestyles and adopting care systems oriented to self-management and self-care;
- monitor maternal and foetal well-being during physiological pregnancy, natural birth and (in cooperation with the specialist) in pathological situations (surveillance and care of at least 40 women in labour);
- practice normal birth in the case of cephalic presentation, including where necessary episiotomy and in urgent cases, breech birth;
- prevent, identify and monitor potentially pathological situations requiring medical intervention and, where necessary, practice all relative emergency measures competently using the means available;
- assess the clinical signs of gynaecological, obstetric and neonatal pathologies, reactions to the stage of illness, operations performed on admitted patients, or on a day-hospital and day-surgery basis, as well as home care;
- assess the clinical signs of immediate, intermediate and late physiological post-partum states for admitted patients, including home care and the assessment of newborn children with no serious pathologies;
- assess the clinical signs of immediate, intermediate and late physiological and pathological post-partum states for admitted patients, including the assessment of clinical signs of pre and post term newborns who are underweight or present some form of disease;
- implement planned care programmes according to scientific evidence-based medical guidelines;
- examine and care for newborn babies, taking all required steps and practising immediate reanimation if required;
- correctly apply diagnosis and treatment complying with scientific principles and adapting them to the patient in line with various priority health and reproductive health issues, and the priorities of the mother and couple;
- contribute to identifying, defining and organising ordinary, emergency and urgent gynaecological and obstetric care based on criterion of priority, guaranteeing continuous care, by optimising human and material resources;
- assess preventive, curative, palliative and rehabilitative gynaecological and neonatal care according to specific result and process indicators;
- possess the skills to design and deliver health and sexual education programmes to women, couples and the community;
- support innovative and conventional surgical procedures in cooperation with specialist doctors and other health staff;
- act in compliance with the ethical codes of conduct and medical-legal principles pertaining to gynaecology, obstetrics and neonatal care;
- respect the roles and competences of all members of the care team, pursuant to the laws in force in terms of liability and the fields of action of the midwife, autonomously and in cooperation with other health workers;
- apply different delivery technologies that are appropriate to different cultures and based on the principle of customisation and appropriateness of care.
- use at least one European language other than Italian in their specific field and to exchange general information;
- adopt counselling techniques in different professional contexts to foster good communication with users and other staff.
CURRICULUM
YEAR 1
Aiming to provide knowledge of the structure and function of organs and systems, as well as the type of biological phenomena, particularly concerning human reproduction and theoretical and practical notions of obstetric and neonatal care based on the principles of Midwifery, with knowledge of the needs of multi-ethnic mothers and children, aiming to create the conditions for tackling the first internship experience in a professional setting, with a view to acquiring basic care skills. .
YEAR 2
Aiming to develop physio-pathological, specialist clinical and care knowledge to manage physiological and risk pregnancies and care for healthy and critical newborns. They shall acquire competences in obstetric and specialist surgery in cooperation with the specialist and communication skills to provide information to individuals, couples and the community for the prevention and promotion of the health of women/couples/families. The internship experiences are performed in hospitals and local clinics (well-women's clinics, birthing facilities, local districts, other facilities), allowing students to experiment the acquired knowledge and techniques.
YEAR 3
Aiming to further develop oncological, endocrinological, sexological and contraceptive knowledge and the anatomical and pathological contexts of gynaecological tumours, as well as the principles of bioethics and the ethical rules and code of conduct of the midwife profession, with progressive autonomy in the judgement of clinical cases and the management of obstetric emergencies and urgent cases, autonomously and in collaboration with other professionals; aiming to acquire methodological competences to understand obstetric research and support the production of the final dissertation. The relevance of the internship performed in local labour facilities with criticality levels 1, 2 and 3 increases, working on a shift basis in autonomous management of physiological pregnancy care.

Communication skills

Midwifery graduates must develop the following communication skills:
- use appropriate communication skills with patients and their relatives within the birthing process and/or with other health professionals, in appropriate verbal, non-verbal and written form;
- use teaching and learning principles for delivering information and educational projects to promote and maintain health, targeting women and/or the community
- develop professional relations, working with other health professionals aware of the specific character of each role within the midwifery team
- support and encourage patients towards healthy choices, strengthening coping skills and improving the available resources;
- deliver prenatal classes to inform and support women/couples during pregnancy, childbirth, early maternity and breast-feeding.
- act as a guide for support staff and/or 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;
- use appropriate strategies to promote self-esteem, integrity and comfort for patients
- effectively use verbal, non-verbal and written communication to convey health evaluations and decisions to interdisciplinary healthcare teams
- facilitate care coordination to achieve agreed health care outcomes;
- cooperate with the care team to apply and develop protocols and guidelines.
Learning methods and activities, teaching tools to develop the learning outcomes:
- lectures
- videos and critical analysis of films, simulations, narration and testimonials
- discussion of case studies and paradigmatic relations 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
interpersonal experiences with users and the team
Assessment tools for verifying the achieved results:
- observation of film frames, documents and dialogues
with structured grids
- feedback during the internship (using portfolios,
structured evaluation sheets and clinical reports)
- structured objective examination with stations and simulations of
interpersonal skills.

Making Judgements

Midwifery graduates must demonstrate the ability to make judgements using the following skills:
- adapt midwifery care, understanding the similarities and differences of users, considering the values, ethnic specificities and socio-cultural practices of the patients.
- analyse the directives and operational practices of the health services and identify the most appropriate midwifery practices reflecting the legal, political, geographic, economic, ethical and social influences.
- use critical thought skills to deliver tailored safe obstetric care;
- integrate their knowledge of cultural diversity, legal aspects, ethical principles to deliver and manage midwifery care in a variety of contexts and health and social services;
- take on responsibility and respond for their own professional actions in line with the profile and the code of ethical conduct
- recognise the differences in tasks and responsibilities of midwifery graduates, support staff and other health professionals.
- practice midwifery care following the professional code of conduct
- perform the midwifery practice responsibly and guarantee compliance with ethical and legal standards.
Learning methods and activities, teaching tools to develop the learning outcomes:
- lectures;
- guided reading and application;
- videos, slides, diagrams and graphs;
- discussion of case studies in small groups and presentations to the class;
- internship with experiences supervised by tutors in different contexts and
progressively assuming autonomy and responsibility;
- debriefing sessions to reflect on and process the experience of professional practice
professional practice.
Assessment tools for verifying the achieved results:
- written and oral exams, case studies;
- feedback during the internship (using portfolios,
structured evaluation sheets and clinical reports on
professional practice).
- objective structured practical exams

Learning skills

Midwifery graduates must develop the following learning skills:
- demonstrate their self-assessment skills and identify their own professional learning and development needs
- demonstrate the ability to study independently using relevant and effective evidence-based research methods
- plan, organise and develop their own actions, responding to the continuous changes in the knowledge of health and social needs
- cooperate and share knowledge within the work team
- demonstrate autonomy in searching for the information required to solve problems or uncertainties in their professional practice, critically selecting primary (research studies) and secondary sources (guidelines, systematic revisions) of scientific evidence.
Learning methods and activities, teaching tools to develop the learning outcomes:
- problem-based learning (PBL)
- use of cognitive maps
- use of self-learning plans and contracts to
make students responsible for planning
and self-assessing their own internship
- workshops on methodologies of paper and electronic bibliographic research
- guided reading for the critical assessment of scientific
and professional literature in both Italian and English.
Assessment tools for verifying the achieved results:
- project work, reports on specific research projects
- tutor supervision of the internship
- active participation in work and debriefing sessions
- punctuality and quality of presented assignments.

Knowledge and understanding

Generic Area
Midwifery graduates will have solid knowledge and understanding of the following areas:
- Biomedical sciences to understand physiological and pathological processes, aiming to become progressively autonomous in making judgements in the management of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures targeting the health of women and couples in various age groups;
- Biological sciences to understand the macroscopic and microscopic structure of the human body particularly concerning the male and female genital systems (including embryogenesis), as well as the principles of biophysical and biochemical methods applicable to prenatal and post-natal diagnostics, as well as the diagnostic and clinical aspects of medical genetics;
- Hygiene and preventive sciences to understand the determinants of health, risk factors, prevention strategies applied to the promotion and support of pregnant women's health, foetal care, couple and community health and actions to promote the safety of health workers and users;
- Human and psycho-pedagogic sciences to understand the psychological aspects related to prenatal and post-natal states, as well as pedagogic skills, where applicable to prenatal preparation (including knowledge of main methods), training and updating of their own professional profile and training support staff. They must also become progressively autonomous in making judgements concerning psychological difficulties related to
pregnancy and childbirth, with basic counselling skills to manage good relations with women and couples during pregnancy, childbirth and early maternity, also for foreign users;
- Ethical, legal and organisational sciences to understand the principles of programming and organisation of health services targeting mothers and children, progressively taking on responsibility for midwifery-related decisions. Students must learn organizational conduct suited to the principles of problem-solving in compliance with the laws on the protection of working mothers, also as regards care for immigrant mothers, and must acquire knowledge and understanding of the epidemiological methods of midwifery and gynaecology and operational strategies to assess and review quality, demonstrating the possession of the tools applied to the principles of efficiency and
effectiveness based on the comparative analysis of costs and benefits, demonstrating autonomous judgement skills in the field of risk management.
- Midwifery-Gynaecological nursing sciences to plan, manage and assess midwifery care for mothers and children also after the birth, demonstrating knowledge and understanding applied to data collection for statistical purposes and the ability to implement a systematic study, also for the purposes of applied research, progressively developing the ability to make judgements. They must also be able to learn operational instruments and methods of scientific research in the midwifery field.
- Computer and language subjects with specific focus on the English language, demonstrating the ability to interpret scientific literature and key search engines in midwifery, gynaecology and neonatal areas.
Learning methods and activities, teaching tools to develop the learning outcomes:
- lectures;
- guided reading and application;
- videos, slides, diagrams and graphs;
- discussion of clinical cases.
Assessment tools for verifying the achieved results:
- written and oral exams, case studies, reports.

Applying knowledge and understanding

Generic Area
Midwifery graduates will have solid knowledge and understanding of the following areas:
- knowledge, skills and attitudes towards care in professional practice of midwifery in the effective management and control of physiological pregnancy, using evidence-based methods
- ability to use a corpus of theoretical knowledge deriving from Midwifery care, biological, behavioural and social sciences and other subjects, in order to recognise the needs of women in different phases of their reproductive life, and those of the couple in social contexts and of the child during the first year of life
- ability to blend theoretical and practical midwifery and gynaecological knowledge with biological, psychological, socio-cultural and humanistic sciences to understand Italian and foreign women and couples, where necessary providing appropriate and targeted counselling services to support situations of socio-cultural difficulty
- ability to use one to one care models to strengthen the empowerment of women/couples during pregnancy, childbirth, early maternity and breast-feeding, for physiological recovery after birth
- responsibility for providing and assessing midwifery care in compliance with professional and quality standards considering the legal implications and ethical responsibilities, as well as the rights of the patient
- ability to interpret and apply the results of clinical research to obstetric and gynaecological practice and link research to the theoretical development of the discipline
- knowledge of the general principles of physiopathology of human reproduction, particularly concerning infertility and sterility, as well as the methodological principles of medically assisted procreation and the cooperative role of the midwife in these fields
- demonstration of a broad knowledge of interventions in the fields of sexology and the menopause and the methods of using key contraceptives for responsible procreation
- prevention and early diagnosis of gynaecological oncology (smear tests, breast examinations)
- theoretical and evidence-based knowledge for gathering data on the physical, socio-cultural and mental health of women and the family
- use of assessment techniques to gather data precisely on the key health problems of women, couples and families;
- ability to analyse and carefully interpret the data gathered from the woman's case history
- delivery of evidence-based midwifery care to guarantee effective and efficient services
- ability to plan midwifery care activities in cooperation with women and the interdisciplinary care team
- ability to assess the progress of care in cooperation with the interdisciplinary team
- facilitation of the development of a safe environment for patients, ensuring constant support to the women/couples and newborn children
- management of a range of preventive, educational, support and care activities required to provide obstetric and gynaecological care in hospitals, the community and homes
Learning methods and activities, teaching tools to develop the learning outcomes:
- lectures;
- videos, slides, diagrams and graphs;
- construction of cognitive maps;
- discussion of case studies in small groups and presentations to the class;
- exercises;
- internships supervised by tutors in different contexts and the progressive undertaking of autonomy and responsibility.
Assessment tools for verifying the achieved results:
- written and oral exams, case studies, project work, reports;
- feedback during the internship (using portfolios, structured assessment sheets and clinical reports on professional practice);
- objective structured practical exams.