It is with concern that the Order of Engineers of Catanzaro has learned, in recent days, of the intention of the “Magna Graecia” University of Catanzaro to give life to a Degree Course in collaboration with the University of Calabria di Rende called ” Medicine and digital technologies “.
The course – reads a press release – as it is designed, will allow students, at the end of the 6-year cycle of studies, to achieve in addition to the title of Doctor of Medicine and Surgery, also a three-year degree in Computer Engineering. Bioinformatician. However, that of conferring today a three-year degree in Engineering appears to be a choice in clear contrast with the addresses and guidelines of the National Council of Engineers which, through the Working Group on University Education of the National Council of Engineers, last year presented the proposal to modify the current course of study necessary to become an engineer by abolishing the classic “3 + 2” and therefore the relative section B of the Register of Engineers reserved for three-year graduates. Furthermore, it would be necessary to investigate what the real career opportunities for the students of the Degree Course in question could be.
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In fact, for about twenty years, an inter-university course of Biomedical Engineering has already existed within the Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro which forms a professional figure born precisely as a junction point between medical and engineering science of absolute specialist and consolidated impact in the health sector, thanks to a very complex five-year course of study.
In Italy there are thousands of biomedical / clinical engineers working in the health sector: in 2019, the very important National Conference of Clinical Engineers was held in Catanzaro, within the university hospital, which saw the participation of over 1500 professionals biomedical / clinical engineers from all over Italy and the presence of more than 50 leading companies in the medical sector.
Among other things, the current pandemic emergency has shown how important and fundamental is the role of biomedical / clinical engineers within the health institution..
Finally, during the meeting in which the representatives of the Order took part together with the two universities, the analysis of the draft of the study plan of the new Degree Course highlighted that this belongs to the LM-41 Class, that is Medicine and Surgery: is this course kicking off the much-desired opening of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Cosenza?
If so, it is clear that it would be a choice that would inevitably create a territorial imbalance with respect to the educational offer of our region, since each university, in recent decades, has preserved and protected a specific educational and social vocation, a strong point for the entire Calabrian territory. A choice of this type could also lead to a weakening of the Calabrian university system. We therefore hope that the prestige that the excellent Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of Unicz has achieved today will not be damaged, rather that the central role of Catanzaro in medical and health training in the Calabrian territory can be strengthened.
The above was the subject of discussion during the meeting of the Council of the Order on 18 December last. We are forced to acknowledge, however, that from what we learn from the press, the activation process of the Degree Course has already begun, despite the invitation letter that has been received from the universities clearly states that ‘[…] It is of great importance for us to have a careful and specific evaluation of the proposal in question by the most representative representatives of the social parties concerned ‘and this Council is still in the evaluation phase, having passed just over twenty days from the first meeting with the universities .
It would therefore be desirable, in our opinion, that the two Calabrian universities give more explanations to citizenship and the world of professions about the training project under discussion, bearing in mind the considerations listed above and involving all the Calabrian institutions concerned.
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