At the end of the 16th century, Camillus De Lellis contributed substantially to defining criteria and organization of an efficient healthcare system, by drawing up and implementing the first modern procedure of hospital care, establishing the basic principles of respect and dignity of the patient, and this is what inspired the mission purpose of the Saint Camillus International University of Health and Medical Sciences - UniCamillus. Established in Rome in 2018, UniCamillus, is an Italian private University that is part of the national education system and issues legally valid degrees in Health and Medical Sciences.Numerous UniCamillus students come from countries which lack in the field of medical and scientific progress for the care and treatment of the most common diseases in those geographical areas (i.e HIV and malaria). Students who come from these countries want to take advantage of the Italian medical training excellence and hopefully return to practice the healthcare profession in their countries of origin. Hence, in such scenarios, the aim of UniCamillus is to train medical and healthcare professionals who can contribute to filling the desperate need of health workers in the various countries of the Southern part of the world. In order to achieve this objective, UniCamillus intends to be the ideal bridge to bring efficient and timely health services to the places where they are most needed.
With higher education spreading all over the world, especially thanks to the exchange programs and scholarships for international students such as those of UniCamillus, students who choose to lead their medical path with UniCamillus are able to find a job in the con-text of their specialization both in Italy and in Europe, while the University also wants them to leave the continent to return to their countries. "At UniCamillus, we deal with high-level training in the health sector and combine this popular learning path with a new focus, namely the humanitarian approach. Indeed, UniCamillus is addressed to students who care for the health problems of developing countries", says Professor Gianni Profita, Rector of UniCamillus.
Future-Ready Courses
UniCamillus' wide array of courses includes 7 Bachelor Degree Courses: Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Midwifery, Physiotherapy, Biomedical Laboratory Techniques, Radiology, Diagnostic Imaging and Radiotherapy Techniques, a Master's Degree in Human Nutrition Sciences, plus Continuing Professional Development. Since UniCamillus is an international University, there is no distinction between degree courses for Italian and foreign students and, to further encour-age integration, Italian language courses are offered to all international students. In this way, they can reach a level of command of the language that allows them to live and work in Italy.
"At UniCamillus, our focus is the human approach to patients: their sensitivity, needs and dignity. Future students at UniCamillus will also learn that healthcare is a mission, and they will spend part of their lives giving medical assistance to less fortunate people, also in countries where this is extremely deficient or lacking. With a constantly growing population of international students, and thanks to the high-level training, the learners become physicians and health professionals with a focus on diseases of underprivileged countries. Graduates will always bear in mind the humanitarian values acquired at UniCamillus, especially the dignity of the patient".
An International Approach
The international atmosphere at UniCamillus promises students the opportunity to expand their knowledge thanks to the contact with people coming from other cultures, especially with 40 percent of UniCamillus students coming from non-EU countries. The Welcome Office supports them in the performance of the bureaucratic procedures and suggests them on the first steps to acclimatize in Italy.
"The aim of UniCamillus is to train medical and healthcare professionals who can contribute to filling the desperate need of health workers in the various countries of the Southern part of the world"
To add to it, with over eight major courses to pick from, the international students benefit from a wide range of partial and total scholarships granted according to income and merit of the student. Further measures consist of maintenance subsidies that are granted to international students if they annually demonstrate
that they are committed to study. "An initiative of which we are particularly proud is the complete exemption of university fees for international students who, within three years from graduation, will return to their country of origin to practice the profession they learned at UniCamillus", says Professor Gianni Profita.
In countries that face structural and infrastructural problems, UniCamillus also organizes Task Forces of groups of Professors. In February 2021, thanks to the enthusiasm of the UniCamillus Task force, its first mission took place in Cameroon, aimed at starting an academic cooperation with hospitals already operating in the territory and assessing the possibility for UniCamillus to join in the management of a local hospital, providing the expertise of qualified professionals in favour of the Cameroonian community. In August 2022 another UniCamillus Task Force landed in Benin where a group of Professors dedicated themselves to treating patients with albinism and dermatological diseases, also through surgical procedures.
Equipped for Future
In only four years UniCamillus has reached a student population of approximately 2000 people and the highest percentage of international students among European universities. The qualifications issued by UniCamillus are valid throughout the whole EU and in most countries since UniCamillus is listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools.
When it comes to jobs, the Placement Office sup-ports students and graduates in job orientation and career choices, working on cross-skills like self-awareness and communication. Agreements are in place with major HR/recruitment companies to help graduates ease themselves into the job market, with the participation in recruiting days and events. Most Indian students at UniCamillus are oriented towards Nursing Degree Course, and many of those who enrolled in the A.Y. 2018/2019 graduated with excellent marks in 2021 and 2022 and are now working in public and private facilities. Many of them have distinguished themselves for having actively participated in all the additional seminars and activities proposed by the university, such as the `Safe Beaches' prevention project.
Speaking about the future plan and advice to inter-national students, Professor Gianni Profita, Rector of UniCamillus says, "Our advice to young people who want to come to study in Europe is to seriously commit to their academic career, because the whole education system, and UniCamillus in the first place, are work-ing to create a path of value, which trains them and put them on the job market. Our promise is that they will fulfill their dreams and positively impact people's lives, if they are motivated".
Professor Gianni Profita - Rector of UniCamillus
He is President and Managing Director of Fondazione Progetto Salute and Rector of the Saint Camillus Inter-national University of Health Sciences. He laid nearly a decade of intense preparatory work for the creation of the institution rising to heights today. Profita firmly believes that healthcare colonialism should come to an end, providing underprivileged countries with opportunities of becoming self-dependent instead of waiting for a western mission to help them. He managed many clinics and health facilities and has also been General Director of Societ' Italiana Autori ed Editori (SIAE) and of Cinema Italiano of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage. He has been the Head of the organization of the EU Agenda for the audio-visual and cultural section during the Italian Semester of EU Presidency and has also founded and directed the Italian Coalition for the UNESCO Cultural Diversity in the framework of the Doha Round of the WTO.
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