Degree course in Midwifery [L/SNT1] D. M. 270/2004
General information
Qualification awarded
Degree in Midwifery
Level of qualification
First Cycle
Specific admission requirements and specific arrangements for recognition of prior learning
Students wishing to enroll in the degree program in midwifery must have a secondary school diploma or other equivalent diploma attained abroad and recognized as suitable. Students must also have an adequate basic preparation in biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics at the secondary school level as well as general culture and the English language. Access to the program is limited to a programmed number of students and is determined on the basis of an entrance exam in accordance with Law N. 264 of 2 August 1999.
The general prerequisites for students who wish to enroll in the program include: a good capacity for human contact, team-work skills, problem solving skills, and the capacity to acquire new knowledge and information and to evaluate them critically. Consequently, students wishing to enroll in this program must have a high degree of aptitude and be highly motivated, fundamental qualities in the training of a midwife who knows how to relate correctly to the social responsibilities required by the institutions.
Profile of the programme
The fundamental objective of the program is the training of graduates in midwifery in conformity with Italian and European standards for the profession.
Graduates will have received adequate training in the basic scientific disciplines that will provide them with both a fundamental understanding of the most important elements, including gender-related elements, of the physiological and pathological on which their rehabilitative and/or therapeutic intervention is focused, and the fullest possible integration with the other professions.
In addition to Italian, graduates must know how to use at least one other European Community language, both for professional purposes and for the exchange of general information.
Acquisition of professional skills will be achieved through theoretical and practical training which also includes the acquisition of behavioral skills and is carried out in the working environment of the specific profession of midwifery so as to ensure, upon completion of the degree program, total proficiency if all of the necessary skills and graduates’ readiness to put them to use in the work environment. Particular emphasis, as an integral and distinguishing part of the professional training, is given to practical training and internships, conducted under the supervision and guidance of especially designated professional tutors, directed by a Coordinator from the degree program teaching staff. Internships must be in conformity with national and European Community directives (2005/36/CE) and with the regulations of professional internships.
Midwifery graduates must achieve the following professional skills as specified by Min. Dec. N. 740 and Decree Law 206/2007:
- know how to assist and counsel the mother/couple during pregnancy, childbirth, and post partum, know how to conduct to successful termination Ectopic pregnancies under her/his own responsibility, providing assistance to the newborn,
- know how to plan, manage, and evaluate autonomously the obstetrical-gynecological intervention within the preventive and physiological sphere of his/her own professional competence, while in the pathological sphere knowing how to act in collaboration with a specialist.
- Know how to prescribe the necessary tests and exams for the diagnosis as early as possible of at-risk pregnancies;
- Know how to assist the mother in childbirth with appropriate clinical practice and technological equipment;
- Know how to participate in sex and health education programs, both with respect to families and the community at large, know how to conduct birth preparation courses;
- Know how to organize the preparation and participation in obstetrical-gynecological interventions
- Know how to effect interventions for the prevention and the identification of tumors within sphere of female genitalia and the mammary gland and for maternal and infant care.
- Know how to manage, in the respect of professional ethics, as a member of a healthcare team, the treatment interventions within her/his competence, availing him/her self, when necessary, of the contribution of support staff
- Be able to identify potentially pathological situations which require medical intervention and know how to effect, where necessary, all of the relevant obstetrical-gynecological and neonatological emergency measures
- Know how to exam newborns and care for them within the sphere of competence
- Know how to effect support for surgical procedures in the obstetrical-gynecological sphere
- Know how to conduct within the sphere of competence treatment and diagnostic measures prescribed by a doctor
- Know how to draft necessary written reports
- Be able to contribute to training activities both within the field of professional competence and with regard to support staff, participating directly in continuing education and scientific research projects in obstetrics, gynecology, and neonatology.
These professional skills of midwifery graduates will be achieved by way of general and specific training objectives as defined for each year of the program.
Qualification requirements and regulations
The degree program is organized in 6 semesters distributed over the 3 years of the program during which the student must acquire 180 credits (ECTS credits). Each ECTS credits requires approximately 30 hours of study. The program calls for students to acquire 60 ECTS credits per year. At least 50% of the ECTS credits are reserved for independent study and other individual training activities.
Each year is organized into approximately 23 weeks of teaching over 2 semesters alternating with exam periods and professional internships.
The first semester goes from October to January
The second semester of the first year occupies March and April and for the second and third year April and May.
The study path provides for 19 courses plus the internship. Each course may be composed of a maximum of 4 Teaching Modules with a distinct name and a specific teacher. Each module is assigned from 1 to 4 ECTS credits.
At the beginning of each academic year, individual teachers have the opportunity to propose to the Program Council their choices of elective courses on subjects related to the sector. The Council will approve no more than two elective courses for each of the three years of the program. The current teaching rules also ensure the student’s free choice among all the courses offered at the Università degli Studi di Perugia upon the student’s request to the program Council which will evaluate the congruity of the student’s proposed course with the objectives of the program.
Each elective course consists of 10 to 20 hours of classroom teaching or technical practice.
Elective courses will be activated only if there are 15 or more students enrolled.
At the end of each elective course the student will be evaluated with a mark on a thirty-point scale which will be communicated to the Didactic Coordinator, will be worth 1 ECTS credit per each 10 hours and will be considered as described at art. 3.5 of the current regulations.
There is no provision for individual study plans.
To achieve its training objectives the program may reach cooperative agreements with external structures, in Italy and abroad, which meet the suitability requirements as provided by Leg. Dec. N. 229/1999.
The date for the start of didactic activities is determined each year on the basis of the working calendar for the year.
The academic calendar is published on the program website and is established in accordance with the General Regulations of the University. Publication must occur before the start of the academic year and will include all didactic programs, recommended text books, the dates and modalities of course exams. In addition, the list of elective activities approved by the Program Council will also be published.
Key learning outcomes
1. Knowledge and capacity for understanding
Midwifery graduates must know and understand the:
- biomedical sciences for understanding of the physiological and pathological processes connected to the state of wellness or illness of people in the various stages of life;
- psycho-social sciences and the humanities for understanding of normal and pathological relational dynamics, defensive or adaptive reactions of people in situations of psycho social disturbance or physical discomfort;
- learning theories for understanding processes of individual or community education,
- obstetrical sciences for understanding obstetrical practice, a clinical model to guide an effective approach to care and treatment, operative techniques and the evidence on which decisions are based;
- ethical, legal, and sociological sciences for understanding the organizational complexity of the health care system, the importance and the utility of acting in conformity with the law and directives as well as respecting the values and ethical dilemmas which present themselves from time to time in the exercise of the profession; the study of these sciences is also aimed at understanding professional autonomy, and the areas of interaction and interdependence with other professions and other members of the treatment team;
- hygienic-preventative sciences for understanding the determinants of health, risk factors, individual and collective prevention strategies, and initiatives aimed at promoting the safety and security of health professionals and patients.
Training methodologies and activities, didactic instruments for achieving the expected results:
- lessons to introduce the subject
- guided reading and application
- videos, demonstrations with images, schemes and materials, graphics
- cognitive mapping
Instruments of Evaluation for Ascertaining achievement of the expected results:
- written and oral exams, case trials
2. Capacity to apply knowledge and understanding (know-how)
Midwifery graduates must demonstrate the capacity to apply knowledge and understanding in the following contexts:
- integrate the knowledge, skills, and aptitudes of care giving in order to effect safe and effective evidence-based treatment;
- utilize a body of theoretical knowledge derived from obstetrics, biological behavioral and social sciences and other disciplines in order to recognize the needs of assisted persons at the various ages and stages of life
- integrate obstetric theory and practice with the biological, psychological, socio-cultural sciences and the humanities for understanding individuals of all ages, groups and communities;
- utilize theoretical and behavioral models in the treatment process to facilitate growth, development, and adaptability as part of the promotion, maintenance, and recovery of people’s health
- interpret and apply the results of research to obstetric practice and connect research to the theoretical development of the discipline of obstetrics
- provide safe and effective evidence-based obstetric care and treatment in order to achieve health or a state of compensation for the assisted person
- conduct a complete and systematic evaluation of the treatment needs of each individual
- measure and evaluate patient performance in collaboration with the treatment team
- Facilitate the development of a safe environment for the assisted person, ensuring a constant obstetric vigilance
- Manage a variety of activities required for the delivery of obstetric, gynecological, and neonatological care and treatment for patients in different treatment contexts in hospitals, outpatient clinics or residential treatment centers.
Training methodologies and activities, didactic instruments for achieving the expected results:
- Case discussions in subgroups with presentations in plenary sessions
- Internship with tutorial supervision in various contexts and with a gradual assumption of autonomy and responsibility
Instruments of Evaluation for Ascertaining achievement of the expected results:
- written and oral exams, case trials
- evaluation feedback during internships
Professional Autonomy and Decision-making
Midwifery graduates must demonstrate independent judgment throughout the following range of skills:
- making treatment decisions
- determining priorities among groups of patients
- deciding which responsibilities to assign to support staff
- effect obstetric treatment by personalizing the choices on the basis of similarities and differences between assisted persons with respect to values, ethnicity, and socio-cultural customs
- adopt appropriate treatment strategies which take account of legal, political, geographic, economic, ethnic, and social factors
- critically evaluate the results of treatment decisions on the basis of outcomes for the individual patient and treatment standards
- make decisions through a scientific approach to solving the patient’s problems
- decide in situations as opposed to positions (conflicts and dilemmas)
Training methodologies and activities, didactic instruments for achieving the expected results:
- lessons
- guided reading and application exercises
- videos, demonstrations with images, schemes and materials, graphics
- Case discussions in subgroups with presentations in plenary sessions
- Internship with tutorial supervision in various contexts and with a gradual assumption of autonomy and responsibility
- Debriefing sessions
Instruments of Evaluation for Ascertaining achievement of the expected results:
- written and oral exams, case trials
- evaluation feedback during internships
- structured objective exams in stages
3. Communication skills
Midwifery graduates must develop the following communication skills:
- use appropriate (verbal, non-verbal, and written) communication skills with patients of all ages and with their families and/or with other health professionals in appropriate form
- use appropriate forms of communication within the multi-professional treatment team
- use principles of teaching and learning for informative and educational interventions directed toward individual patients, families, groups, and other professionals (support staff), midwifery students, nursing students
- support and encourage patients towards choices for health by reinforcing their coping skills, self-esteem, and by enhancing available resources
- manage conflicts deriving from different positions
- facilitate coordination of treatment to achieve agreed-upon objectives
- cooperate with the treatment team to coordinate operative modalities and implement protocols and guidelines
Training methodologies and activities, didactic instruments for achieving the expected results:
- lessons
- videos, demonstrations with images, schemes and materials, graphics
- Case discussions in subgroups with presentations in plenary sessions
- Internship with tutorial supervision in various contexts and with a gradual assumption of autonomy and responsibility
Instruments of Evaluation for Ascertaining achievement of the expected results:
- Viewing of films or texts, dialogues with structured grills
- evaluation feedback during internships
- structured objective exams on relational skills with simulations
4. Learning Skills
Midwifery graduates must develop the following learning skills:
- independent study
- demonstrate the capacity to cultivate doubts and tolerate uncertainty deriving from study and practice
- develop the capacity to pose questions about the exercise of one’s own activities, pertinent with regard to timing, place, and interlocutors
- demonstrate the capacity to look for self-learning opportunities
- demonstrate the capacity for self-evaluation and the sharing of knowledge within the treatment team
- demonstrate independence in searching for information necessary to resolving problems or uncertainties in professional practice, critically selecting secondary and primary sources or research evidence
Training methodologies and activities, didactic instruments for achieving the expected results:
- problem-based learning
- use of self-learning contracts and plans in order to responsibilize the student in the planning of his internship itinerary and self-evaluation
- methodology laboratories in paper-based and internet-based bibliographical research
- guided reading in the critical evaluation of scientific and professional literature in both Italian and English
Instruments of Evaluation for Ascertaining achievement of the expected results:
- project-work, reports on scientific research assignments
- tutorial supervision during internships
- active participation in work sessions
- precision and quality in the presentation of work product
Examination regulations, assessment and grading
Learning evaluation may be conducted through instructive evaluations or certifying evaluations.
Instructive evaluations:
- midterm exams: intended exclusively to measure the effectiveness of learning and teaching processes with respect to certain didactic content or subjects; they will only be administered on condition that they do not interfere with concomitant courses;
Certifying evaluations
- suitability certification : specific only to courses held in different semesters or years (Scientific English or and TP)
permitting the recognition of credits for the student’s academic career; the qualification is expressed in terms of suitable or unsuitable
course exams: aimed at evaluating, and quantifying with a mark, the student’s achievement of the overall course objectives, certifying the student’s level of individual preparation.
The overall number of exams necessary to be eligible to sit the final degree exam is 20.
There are three ordinary exam sessions (February and June and September) and exams must be taken in these periods when there is no didactic activity. Each exam session will have two sub-sessions opportunely arranged to avoid overlapping.
Additional exam sessions may be added to assist students who are behind with their exams.
Students must register to take exams on-line (SOL System) at least 7 days prior to the date of the exam.
Each of the courses included in the study plan of the degree program concludes with an integrated final exam covering all of its modular components.
Exams are conducted before a commission of at least two teaching faculty, and normally chaired by the Coordinator of the course. The exam commission may be composed in part by experts in the field who have performed didactic support activities during the course.
Students may not sit for course exams during their internship periods.
With regard to the 1st and 2nd year internships two specific evaluations will be held, the first at the end of July and the second at the end of September. These evaluations will be certifying evaluations and will be part of the student’s academic record with an indication of suitable (and acquisition of the relative ECTS credits) or not suitable. These evaluations will in turn be considered for the final mark on a thirty-point scale attributed to the 3rd year internship. Students evaluated not suitable will have to repeat the relative portion of the internship program in the subsequent evaluation session.
The final course exam in Scientific English will be effected at the end of the 3rd year, while in the 1st and 2nd year there will be certifying evaluations with an indication of suitable or not suitable. These evaluations will in turn be considered for the final mark on a thirty-point scale attributed to the 3rd year internship. Students evaluated not suitable will have to repeat the relative portion of the Scientific English in the subsequent evaluation session.
Six ECTS credits are reserved for elective activities with a single exam marked on a thirty-point scale which corresponds to the average of the thirty-point scale evaluations given for each elective course. The final degree exam is aimed at ascertaining the basic preparation and professional knowledge and skills acquired by the student.
The final degree exam has the value of the state qualifying exam for entry into the profession of Midwife and is composed of:
a) a practical trial in the course of which the student must demonstrate to have acquired the theoretical and practical and technical-operational knowledge and skills pertaining to the professional profile;
b) the writing and discussion of an original thesis under the guidance of a supervisor and a co-supervisor from a related subject matter.
The final exam is administered in 2 sessions determined at the national level by Ministerial Decree (the first is usually held between October and November and the second in March and April.
The exam is sustained before a commission named by the Rector and composed by 7 to 11 members (of whom at least 2 are designated by the College of Midwives), identified by a special decree of the MUIR in concert with the Ministry of Health.
The final exam may be repeated only once.
The final mark for the degree, expressed on a scale of 110 with the possible attribution of honors is determined according to the following parameters:
1) the average of the marks obtained on exams for curricular courses, elective courses, and internships, expressed on a 110 point scale;
2) The students university career taken as a whole : worth from +1 to -1 points. University careers of more than 3 years will have a score of -1; careers of 3 years with less than 3 honors will have a score of 0; careers of 3 years with 3 or more honors will have a score of +1
3) the mark attributed to the practical trial (from 0 to 4 points);
4) the contents of the thesis and its defense: worth as follows: from 0 to 4 points for a compiled thesis, from 0 to 6 points for an experimental thesis.
5) other points attributed to other educational/training experiences (Erasmus, etc.), valued at 1 point in the presence of an attached certification of participation in a professional internship abroad and a certificate of successful completion of the internship exam.
Graduation requirements
To be admitted to the final degree exam, students must:
1. have obtained a total of 180 ECTS credits within 12 days of the date established for the award of the degree;
2. have delivered to the Students Secretariat:
- application to the Rettore at least 45 days prior to the degree exam session
- a copy of the Thesis at least 20 days prior to the degree exam session
Mode of study (full-time, part-time, e-learning, ...)
The professional nature of the degree program in Midwifery requires mandatory attendance at all didactic and training activities and excludes the possibility for part-time enrollment.
In order to be take the exam for any individual course the student must present a signed certificate of least 75% attendance of the required didactic activities for the course and 100% of the professional internships.
In specific cases where it is impossible for students (by reason of illness, injury, etc.) to fulfill the attendance requirement the Degree Program Council, upon consultation with the teacher of the course, may propose to the student a plan to make up the missing hours so as to be permitted to take the exam. In the absence of such conditions the student is enrolled as a repeater in the same year of the program with the obligation to attend those courses for which he was not able to obtain the certificate of attendance.
Students who do not satisfy the internship requirement, either with respect to attendance or with respect to established training objectives will have to reach an agreement with the internship coordinator on a plan to make up the missing hours or failed objectives and the plan will have to be approved by the Program Council. In the absence of such conditions the student is enrolled as a repeater in the same year of the program with the obligation to attend those internship activities for which he was not able to obtain the certificate of completion.
Occupational profiles of graduates with examples
Graduate midwives can find employment in public and/or private health facilities or work as self-employed professionals.
Specifically, work opportunities tend to be in areas of their competence in the field of maternal-infant care: obstetrical-gynecological emergency care, obstetrics, pregnancy pathologies, gynecology, delivery rooms, specific operating rooms, neonatal pathologies, prenatal outpatient diagnostic clinics, university and/or hospital clinics.
In the community their occupational sphere includes reproductive health services with autonomy in physiology and prevention and shared responsibility for treatment and rehabilitation. Their profession can be practiced in Italy and throughout the European Union and beyond wherever the equivalence of their degree is recognized (Directive 2005/36/CE – Leg. Dec. N. 206 of 9 November 2007).
The degree program will use all available methods for analysis of the results achieved in terms of the employability of its graduates and the condition of the labor market in the sector.
Access to further studies
The 3-year degree meets the requirements for admission to the LM/SNT master’s degree program in as well as first level master’s programs or continuing professional education programs.