In recent days, the University of Calabria presented the start of nursing internship activities in the cloister of the monumental complex of San Domenico in Cosenza. Starting from this month and until September, with a break in August, the over 100 students attending the first year of the Unical course will be engaged, on a monthly rotation, in various local health facilities. The presentation was attended by the rector of Unical, Nicola Leone, the commissioner of the Cosenza hospital, Vitaliano De Salazar, and the general director of the ASP of Cosenza, Antonio Graziano. The operational information was provided by the director of the Department of Pharmacy and Health and Nutrition Sciences, Maria Luisa Panno, by the coordinator of the degree course in Nursing, Ivan Casaburi, and by the manager of professional training and internship activities, Nicola Ramacciati.
The rector of Unical, Nicola Leone, underlined the importance of this activity, which requires 1800 hours of internship for each student, and which, albeit indirectly, will also make a concrete contribution to healthcare with the presence in the wards hospitals: «A significant fact – explained the Rector – for a degree course that has just started and which is already receiving appreciation from students and the healthcare world. From next year, the trainees will number around 300, while when fully operational there will be more than 500, an important number of young people who are not only preparing to become the standard bearers of a noble profession but who, with their presence in the historic centre, contribute to revitalizing this important part of the city”.
Where the internships will take place. All students have already attended professional simulation workshops to better prepare for this phase of their path and make themselves useful in the structures they will attend. The internship locations were identified based on the training objectives of the first year and the specificities of the hospital and healthcare facilities in the area.
These will be the structures active in the INRCA hospital in Cosenza and Rogliano, and in the departments of the ASP hospitals in Paola, Castrovillari, Rossano-Corigliano, San Giovanni in Fiore, Praia a Mare, Cetraro and in the districts of Rende, Cosenza, Scalea, Paola, Cetraro, Rossano, Corigliano, Castrovillari, Amantea, some of which are areas of residence of the trainees themselves.
The students will be supported, from the beginning, by a reference nurse-guide, with a 1 to 1 ratio. This will allow them to be followed during the entire shift time, thus encouraging practical and assisted learning. To this end, between March and May this year, 280 nurses from the Cosenza Hospital participated in a specific refresher course on the role of the internship guide, held by the head of Training Activities, Nicola Ramacciati, together with some tutors professionals of the degree course in Nursing. The course, characterized by a high degree of interaction and appreciation on the part of the participants, will soon also be extended to INRCA and the Asp of Cosenza.
Furthermore, to better prepare for this fundamental phase of their training path, the students attended professional workshops at the University in May, with 5 simulation stations equipped with special mannequins and trainers. This allowed them to practice safely, in small groups and under the guidance of dedicated professional tutors. Finally, the Nursing course adheres to the initiative of the Slow Medicine association “#buongiornoiosono”. The campaign, which is inspired by #hellomynameis, an initiative launched in the United Kingdom by Kate Granger, a doctor who suffered from cancer after her experience in hospital, aims to remind all health professionals of the importance of presenting themselves with your name and role when meeting a patient, as a first step in establishing a relationship of trust.
