NAME: PEDIATRIC SURGERY

COORDINATOR: PROF. GIROLAMO MATTIOLI

LOCATION: IRCCS GIANNINA GASLINI INSTITUTE – Department of Specialized Surgeries

DURATION: 5 YEARS

ADMISSION: Admission of medical residents to the School of Specialization is carried out in accordance with current regulations as specified in the annual admission notice for medical-surgical specialization schools.

Admission of the candidates, based on the ranking and type of available positions, follows this order of priority:

• Regular positions funded by the Ministry
• Additional positions funded by the Region
• Additional positions funded by resources obtained from public institutions or organizations

Admission to all the above positions is in any case subject to passing the admission test and specific ministerial authorization.

TRAINING PROGRAMME: TThe training program is detailed in the School's Operational Plan, approved by the School Council based on the guidelines of Ministerial Decree 402/2017, which, in compliance with current law, outlines the structure of the educational activities aimed at achieving the objectives necessary to obtain the specialization title. The resident must attend lectures, seminars, and all other types of instructional activities deemed necessary by the School Council for the complete and well-rounded training of each individual.

Holders of specialization training contracts, as students of specialization schools, are considered students of the University.

The academic year coincides with the start of educational activities, established each year by ministerial decree. Attendance is mandatory. The School Council annually determines the methods of carrying out both theoretical and practical activities, including rotations among the institutions in the training network.

Training within the network: Trainees conduct their training as per the criteria set by the School Council, rotating through various departments and services in the training network. The total period in affiliated units must not exceed half of the School's overall duration.

Training within the educational network: Residents carry out their training activities according to the criteria set by the School Council. To ensure a complete and balanced professional education, the resident is required to attend various departments, services, and units that comprise the training network, with methods and durations consistent with training objectives. The period spent in units within the training network is determined by the School Council and may not exceed half the total duration of the residency program.

Training outside the network: Training periods abroad are also allowed, subject to School Council approval and formal acceptance by the host institution. The maximum duration is eighteen months throughout the course of the program.

Typical host institutions include:

• Ospedale Necker Enfants Malades – Servizio di Chirurgia Generale e urologica – Parigi
• Ospedale Robert Debré – Servizio di Chirurgia Generale e Urologica – Parigi
• Ospedale Kremilin Bicetre – Servizio di Chirurgia generale e urologica – Parigi
• Ospedale Armand Trousseau - Servizio di Chirurgia generale e urologica – Parigi
• Ospedale Lapeyronie – Servizio di Chirurgia Viscerale ed urologia Pediatrica - Montpellier 
• Ospedale Femme Mere Enfant – Reparto di chirurgia Pediatrica Viscerale – Lione
• Ospedale Groupe Hospitalier Pellegrin - Servizio di Chirurgia generale e urologica - Bordeaux
• Ospedale pediatrico di Tolosa 
• Ospedale pediatrico La Timone Marsiglia
• Ospedale Hautepierre Strasburgo
• Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital- Johannesburg
• Hopitaux Universitaires de Geneve
• Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù – Reparto UOC di Chirurgia della Continenza e Neurourologia- Roma
• Hospital Pedro de Elizalde (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

Furthermore, the resident’s internship activity is entirely educational in nature and does not replace the work of permanent hospital or university staff. It must include the full range of activities carried out by permanent staff. During clinical activities, residents are assigned increasing levels of responsibility and autonomy based on their professional development.

All educational and clinical activities are carried out under the supervision of tutors, appointed annually by the School Council based on their scientific qualifications, professional experience, and demonstrated teaching ability.

Residents are required to maintain a digital training diary (provided by Nomos), where all educational and clinical activities must be recorded: planning, topics covered, execution methods, teachers/tutors; and all clinical activities: structured development of the resident’s training path, rotation planning in agreement with the tutor.

At the end of each academic year, the School Director verifies the completion of the training diary and the consistency of the activities with the individual training plan.

TRAINING OBJECTIVES: The Specialization School in Pediatric Surgery belongs to the area of General Surgery and lasts five years.

Through targeted educational paths designed to ensure the acquisition of the necessary cultural knowledge and professional skills, the program aims to achieve the following training objectives:

• Basic training activities (general subjects for specialist training):

1. Fundamental knowledge of organogenesis, topographical anatomy, pathological anatomy, and histology relevant to clinical practice and operative medicine.
2. Fundamental knowledge of physiology and biochemistry to understand the physiological response to common surgical diseases.
3. Actions, interactions, complications, indications, and contraindications of the most commonly used drugs in surgical diseases.
4. Basic knowledge of immunology, genetics, microbiology, and medical statistics.

• Core disciplines (training objectives specific to this specialization):

1. Theoretical and clinical knowledge for the diagnosis and preoperative treatment (including traumatology, transplantology, and anesthesiology).
2. Principles of operative medicine and postoperative treatment (including intensive care) for the most common surgically treated diseases.

• Specific disciplines:

1. Theoretical knowledge for diagnosing surgical diseases across different life stages.
2. Theoretical and clinical knowledge for pre- and postoperative treatment, including the principles of operative medicine (e.g., thoracoscopic, laparoscopic, and robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery) for the most common congenital and acquired surgical conditions, including traumatic and oncologic lesions, at various ages.
3. Theoretical knowledge for anesthesiology and intensive care management in pediatric patients.

To ensure training in a common core curriculum, residents rotate through various units at:

• IRCCS Gaslini Institute: Thoracic Surgery, Urology, Digestive Surgery, Oncology, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Intensive Care Unit, Radiology, Neurosurgery, Orthopedics and Traumatology, Cardiovascular and Vascular Surgery
• IRCCS San Martino: Urology, General Surgery, and Thoracic Surgery

Villa Scassi Hospital: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (Burn Unit)

Elective disciplines:

Elective training activities, chosen by the resident, aim at acquiring specific and advanced knowledge within the specialty. These may include pediatric plastic surgery, urological surgery, digestive system surgery, oncologic surgery, and thoracic surgery.

Supplementary and interdisciplinary disciplines:

Theoretical knowledge for the diagnosis and medical treatment of major pediatric conditions, including general and specialized pediatrics (cardiology, endocrinology, hematology, oncology, neonatology), principles of medical statistics, and basic forensic medicine relevant to medical practice.

At the conclusion and upon successful completion of the final year, the resident must take a final exam in the ordinary session, scheduled within one month after the end of the course. The School guarantees special final exam sessions for those needing to recover academic credits due to training interruptions.