Educational goals

The main objective of the training course is the training of a graduate professional with specific skills and knowledge in the field of construction and adaptation of prostheses, orthoses, corrective aids and support of the musculoskeletal system on medical prescription. These skills are achieved through a theoretical-practical path that allows the student to progressively acquire responsibility and professional autonomy. The orthopaedic technician must be able to provide both in the preventive and therapeutic field a service based on clear and concrete scientific foundations. Must be able to examine the medical prescription and the condition of the disabled client; determine the measurements and characteristics of the prosthesis to be made or adapted; make or adapt prostheses in wood, metal, plastic, leather thanks to the use of machinery for drilling, sanding, turning, assembling; try the prosthesis on the client, train the client in the use of the prosthesis, also in collaboration with other professionals who deal with re-education. The basic training of the orthopaedic technician includes the acquisition of knowledge related to preparatory sciences, biomedical sciences and first aid. Specific training in anatomy, functional anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology is also required. The orthopedic technician acquires knowledge of orthopedic pathology, traumatology, rheumatology, general surgery, and plastic surgery. It acquires specific skills on human and psycho-pedagogical sciences and information processing systems. They acquire skills related to the creation and application of orthoses, prostheses, corrective aids and support of the musculoskeletal system or prosthetic devices for prevention and correction. The orthopaedic technician integrates his training with English language courses, computer science, with the attendance of seminars, courses and congresses related to the specific profession and by attending specific professional workshops. This is followed by a final exam which consists of a practical test in which the student demonstrates that he has acquired technical and operational skills of the profession and in the drafting of a thesis and its discussion. They must know the ethical and legal limits of the profession, working in the laboratory as a member of a team or, as a manager, demonstrating leadership skills. At least 60 credits are to be acquired in training activities aimed at the maturation of specific professional activities. The course is organized in semesters, at the end of which the exam and eligibility verification sessions take place. The training of the orthopaedic technician has been developed according to European standards, so as to cover the three levels of knowledge: knowing, knowing how to do and knowing how to be. After a solid preparation on the basic subjects and on the principles that regulate the physiological and biomechanical mechanisms of the organism, the student faces the characterizing subjects with lectures always accompanied by interactive lessons. In this way, with the guidance of the teacher, progressively more complex and diversified professional situations are simulated in the classroom. Subsequently, the student actively experiences these situations until he reaches complete professional autonomy during the internship.

Career opportunities

The orthopaedic technician finds employment in: - public or private structures, both dependent and self-employed - in Universities in the specific sector to which he belongs as a lecturer, tutor or coordinator of the degree course in Orthopaedic Techniques; - in the production of braces, orthoses, braces or prostheses; - in marketing agencies operating in the sector

Admission requirements

The knowledge required for access to the Degree Course in Orthopaedic Techniques is that acquired with the achievement of an upper secondary school diploma, required by current legislation or another qualification obtained abroad and considered suitable, pursuant to Article 6 of Ministerial Decree 3/11/1999, n. 509. Admission to the degree course is limited by the national access planning (Law no. 264 of 2 August 1999). Admission takes place through a competitive examination; the date and procedures for carrying out the admission test are defined annually by the Ministry of Education, University and Research and published in a special call issued by the University. Students admitted to the degree course with a grade lower than a pre-established minimum threshold may be assigned specific additional educational obligations; The methods for making up for any educational deficits, to be filled in any case within the first year of the course, are governed by the teaching regulations of the degree course.