Adnkronos Rome, March 18 (Adnkronos Salute) – The Italian Society of Anaesthesia, Analgesia, Resuscitation and Intensive Care (Siaarti) welcomes with interest the final approval of the reform of access to degree courses in Medicine and Surgery, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine and is available to collaborate with the Ministry of University and Research (Mur) for the implementation of orientation initiatives in secondary schools.
One of the qualifying aspects of the reform – explains the scientific society in a note – is precisely the orientation activity, which represents a concrete opportunity to bring students closer to health disciplines, promoting awareness of the importance and appeal of medical specialties such as Anesthesia and resuscitation. Siaarti believes it is essential to raise awareness among young people on the need to cultivate a vocation towards these specializations, which are crucial for the health system and for the management of highly complex emergencies.
"We are ready to offer our contribution in the field of school orientation - says Elena Bignami, president of Siaarti - so that students can make more informed and motivated choices towards healthcare professions, especially those in the critical area". Alongside the opportunities offered by the reform, some concerns remain. The Siaarti president expresses doubts about the ability of universities to guarantee quality teaching and adequate practical training with the increase in admitted students. "Such high numbers - observes Bignami - risk compromising the quality of classroom teaching and practical training in internships, with possible repercussions on the level of preparation of future doctors and specialists. We are not convinced that this new organizational structure can really guarantee an effective right to study and fair training for everyone, especially for the practical part".
Further fears are raised by the combined provisions of this reform and the provisions of the so-called 'Calabria Decree' and subsequent measures, which allow medical specialists, starting from the second year of their course, to participate in competitions for hiring in healthcare companies. "If adequate attention is not paid to the quality of training - warns the Siaarti president - the risk is that young doctors will see not only the years of actual training reduced, but also their preparation due to overcrowding and the need to immediately enter a world of work characterized by a lack of staff. This - she adds - could have negative repercussions on the quality of healthcare, especially in highly complex disciplines such as ours".
Siaarti believes that it is time to open a broader reflection on the length of the training course in Medicine and Surgery and on specialization. "We could imagine a degree course in Medicine reduced to 4 years, with a specialization course lasting another 4 years: the first 2 without the possibility of employment and the last 2 with increasing professional autonomy - suggests Bignami - This could be a way to guarantee more targeted and quality training, avoiding the risk of doctors trained in a short time but with inadequate skills".
Siaarti hopes that the legislative decrees implementing the reform will take these critical issues into account and is available for a constructive discussion with the institutions to identify solutions that can combine increased access with the necessary guarantee of educational quality.