Medicine Schools and Programs in Italy

Medicine Studies in Italy

The study of medicine can set students up for a very rewarding and lucrative career, and now candidates interested in pursuing medicine as a career can earn a portion of their educational credentials while studying and living abroad for a semester or year in the beautiful country of Italy.

Italy, officially known as the Italian Republic, is a unitary parliamentary republic situated in the south of the European continent.   The sovereign nation shares borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia to the north, and is approximately surrounded by the Alpine watershed, which encloses the Po Valley and the Venetian Plain. To the south, Italy consists of the entirety of the Italian Peninsula and the two biggest Mediterranean islands of Sicily and Sardinia.
Italy's capital and largest city is Rome, which for centuries has been the leading political and religious center of Western civilization, serving as the capital of both the Roman Empire and Christianity.  

Italy comprises an area of roughly 116,000 square miles (301,338 square kilometers) and boasts a largely temperate climate.  With just more than 60 million inhabitants, it is the 5th most populous country in Europe, and is home to the 4^th largest economy in the European Union and the ninth-largest in the world. Much of Italy’s success and the high standard of living it has enjoyed throughout history can be attributed to the country’s excellent system of education, including its system of higher education, which boasts several top-notch universities.

Medical Education in Italy

Medical education in Italy, including pre-medical schooling, is offered by several of the country’s excellent universities.  Each of these institutions offers a dynamic curriculum that skillfully responds to the ever-changing requirements for medical education while recognizing the uniqueness of each doctor-candidate.

Medical education programs in Italy feature early clinical experiences in which students are afforded the opportunity to begin interacting with patients in one of the country’s leading hospitals.   The curriculum consists of a robust roster of electives in the medical humanities, with other medical-related topics supplementing a program of core courses that allow students to pursue their own interests throughout their medical training.

Some of the highlights of Italy’s medical education and training programs include:

• An excellent foundation in biomedical science, with meaningful ties to clinical relevance.
• Early, hands-on clinical experience in a hospital setting.
• Flexibility, with opportunities for enrichment electives, combined-degree programs, field study, and research projects.
• Superior medical examination preparation.
• Technology-rich environment and advanced facilities.

Students studying in Italy are also provided an abundance of research opportunities, some of which are offered before the first day of classes even begin.  The structure of the medical education programs is such that it closely connects students with some of the best faculty the country has to offer, with plenty of opportunities to meet one on one as a way to enhance the learning process and promote personal growth.

Why Study Abroad in Italy

The education students receive when they elect to study in Italy is second to none.  However, it is what this beautiful country offers beyond the classroom walls that make it such an enticing study abroad locale for thousands of students each year.  When taking a break from their studies, students will find a bevy of fun and interesting sightseeing destinations to explore, not the least of which are:

San Gimignano

Nicknamed the medieval Manhatten, San Gimignano is a quaint little village in Tuscany that is renowned for its 14 stone towers. At the height of San Gimignano’s wealth and power, more than 70 towers were built to defend the town against enemy attacks. After the plague devastated the city in 1348, San Gimignano’s power faded somewhat, a fact which kept enemies away and preserved many of the city’s grand medieval towers that still stand proudly today.

Manarola (Cinque Terre)

Nestled in the gorgeous and ultra-popular Italian Riviera, Manarola is one of the oldest towns in the Italian region known as Cinque Terre. The “Five Lands,” as the region is known, is made up of five villages, including Manarola, each noted for their simplistic beauty.  Part of Cinque Terre charm is the lack of visible modern development; paths, trains and boats connect the villages, and cars cannot reach it from the outside. The towns sprout out of the mountainside to provide a breathtaking view of the Mediterranean Sea.

Leaning Tower of Pisa

The world famous Pisa Tower was built over a period of about 177 years. Soon after the initial construction started in 1173 the tower began to sink due to a poorly laid foundation and was left alone for almost a century. When the construction resumed, the engineers built higher floors, with one side taller than the other to compensate for the tilt. The tower was finally finished in the 2nd half of the 14th century, and since 2001, this famous emblematic landmark, with its 296 steps, has been open to the public.