Ricerc@Sapienza

A joint targeted action of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of University and Scientific and
Technological Research, can enable effective information and guidance activities to be carried out in
order to reduce dropout rates, excessive extension
of studies, and to stimulate the active participation
of students in the school environment and faculties. All these actions are made indispensable in the
light of changes in society and the job market. In
order to understand how Italian universities manage university orientation, a questionnaire with 33
questions concerning the organization of university orientation in the various Italian universities was
distributed. 30 Presidents of the degree courses in
medicine and surgery of various universities participated in our survey. The results obtained indicate
that there are satisfactory relations with higher education institutions and with the Provincial Medical
Associations, even if these are mainly focused on
information and orientation initiatives (100/60%)
and less addressed in specific training courses in the
different types (60/12%). It also emerges the need to
implement initiatives of psychological support to the
choice (36%). Orientation, in its various dimensions
(dissemination of information, training, facilitation
of choices and support for inclusion in study and
work environments), must be included in the framework of the reform initiatives of schools and universities; this requires a strong institutional connection between schools and universities and between
these and other public and private entities that are
involved in professional qualification processes.