Clinical internship is a training strategy that involves the student being supported by an expert professional, in specific healthcare contexts, in order to acquire the skills required by the professional role.
The internship as an educational method is based on the learning from experience model. The main purpose is the development of skills, identity and professional belonging. The clinical experience allows the student to deal with unique and complex healthcare situations, which cannot be recreated with theoretical approaches alone.
The planning of internship experiences involves a gradual increase in complexity over time, to offer the student the opportunity to engage in a progressive assumption of professional and organizational autonomy. For each student, in the three-year period, different internship experiences are planned in different contexts, chosen by the Director of professional education in collaboration with the Tutors of professional education. The assignment of the internship location to each student is planned taking into account the learning needs in relation to the objectives of the course year and the level of preparation achieved by the individual student. The internship path must be flexible and aimed at the student's learning needs, trying to personalize the experience as much as possible.
The experience in services allows the student to deal with complex situations that can be resolved by putting into practice the knowledge acquired and by using tacit knowledge that guides him in solving problems. In this case, reflexivity becomes the tool and the priority attitude to be able to learn professional skills. The internship therefore offers not only the possibility of learning to do, but the possibility of thinking about doing, of approaching problems, to question the possible and multiple meanings of what is encountered in the experience.
The role of the tutor as supervisor and facilitator of learning within the internship context is therefore essential.
For a successful outcome of the internship experience, students will be informed about:
- the learning objectives to be achieved
- the standards used to evaluate their performance and the elements that will contribute to the final internship evaluation
- failure to meet these standards prior to the final certification assessment
Learning in the internship requires theoretical prerequisites, to this end tutorial sessions are planned that prepare the student for the experience:
- exercises, simulations in which technical, relational and methodological skills are developed in protected situations or during experimentation in real contexts;
- direct experience in the field with tutor supervision accompanied by constant sessions of reflection and re-elaboration of the experience;
- to support these experiential learning processes, the student may be assigned educational tasks (specific written essays and insights) and guided study assignments. Sometimes these are necessary to help the student recover theoretical prerequisites before experimenting with interventions on the patient or on expensive technologies, to guarantee safety conditions.
The Internship is carried out in healthcare settings at public facilities, private facilities and private-accredited facilities. The training and orientation internship locations in agreement are:
- Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria di Modena Policlinico
- Azienda Ospedaliera Santa Maria Nuova di Reggio Emilia
- AUSL di Modena Ospedale di Carpi
- Nuovo Ospedale di Sassuolo
- AUSL di Modena Consultori di Modena e provincia
- AUSL di Reggio Emilia Consultori di Reggio Emilia e provincia
- Associazioni libero-professioniste di Modena
The clinical internship activity takes place in different areas depending on the year of the course:
1st year (in one or more partner locations)
- Obstetrics Department
- Gynecology Department
- Family counseling centers
- Obstetric and gynecological clinics
2nd year (in one or more partner locations)
- Obstetrics Department
- Gynecology Department
- Obstetric/Gynecological Emergency Room
- Obstetric/Gynecological Operating Room
- Obstetric and gynecological clinics
3rd year (in one or more partner locations)
- Delivery Room
- Freelancer
Internship activity calendar A.Y. 2023/24
| 1st Semester | 2nd Semester | |
| 1st Year | dal 08/01/24 al 29/02/24 | dal 03/04/24 al 30/09/24 |
| 2nd Year | dal 02/11/23 al 29/02/24 | dal 03/04/24 al 30/09/24 |
| 3rd Year | dal 02/11/23 al 29/02/24 | dal 03/04/24 al 30/09/24 |
Internship experiences are evaluated and documented in the Student's path through the internship booklet, in which the student is required to document the hours of presence in the internship, daily, with the signature of the internship guide to whom he is assigned. (For detailed information, the student is invited to consult the Internship Regulations).
An individual training project is foreseen for all external internship activities.
The Degree Course in Obstetrics has a strong practical connotation that materializes with the internship activity.
The course of study, with compulsory attendance, has a six-monthly organization of training activities (basic and professionalizing teachings), characterized by theoretical learning (lectures, laboratories, exercises) and clinical-assistance (internship). The practical application internship activity is mandatory and is carried out with the supervision and guidance of professional tutors and Internship Guides.
In addition to the traditional internship locations (AUSL and AOU of the provinces of Modena and Reggio Emilia) it is possible to make agreements with other accredited structures.
The practical internship is a form of educational activity that involves the acquisition of professionalizing skills through the execution of practical activities with varying degrees of autonomy that gradually increase as the student's experience grows.
At the end of each internship period, the Internship Guide will issue the student a written evaluation based on 8 items:
a - Punctuality
b - Order
c - Communication and ability to work in a team
d - Knowledge and application in work
e - Interest and involvement in care activities
f - Relational skills
g - Technical skills
h - Self-assessment skills
The following evaluation level will be used for each type of question:
- insufficient
- sufficient
- fairgood
- distinct
- excellent
The Degree Course in Obstetrics has a strong practical connotation that is expressed through the internship activity; the latter is a form of educational activity that allows the acquisition of professionalizing skills through the execution of practical activities, with the achievement of different degrees of autonomy as the student's experience grows. The internship is the set of multiple experiences based on an educational project managed by Tutors and Internship Guides. It is a fundamental learning method for the student, which allows him/her to socially integrate with professionals and with the world of work.
The Internship Satisfaction Questionnaire is a tool for measuring quality; at the end of each individual internship experience, the student will evaluate in a constructive and proactive way his/her own experience, understood as integration into a complex and articulated healthcare organization. The questionnaire is completely anonymous and includes the evaluation of several items:
1. Reception at the Internship Location
2. Learning Climate at the Internship Location
3. Guidance and Support at the Internship Location
4. Evaluation carried out by the Internship Guide(s)
5. Overall and final assessment of the Internship activity carried out
Students of the Degree Course voluntarily and anonymously evaluate each internship experience attended.
The midwife guide of the internship
She/he is a professional of the internship service who supports the student - in a 1:1 relationship while carrying out his work activity: he accompanies him throughout the period, selects learning opportunities consistent with the course year. Together with the tutor, the internship guide facilitates learning and supports the student in experiences, is the guarantor of the student's safety; ensures that those assisted receive quality assistance even when delegated, with supervision, to the student. The internship guide provides constant feedback to the student regarding the achievement of the expected results and evaluates the student by adequately filling in the evaluation booklet.