Primary Care - Family or Community Nursing

The Level I Master’s Program in “Primary Care, Family, and Community Nursing” is divided into 6 modules that will cover the following topics:

• Module 1
  Primary Care, Local Communities, and the Community
• Module 2
  Advanced Nursing Care Planning and Management of Complex Needs
• Module 3
  Tools and Skills for Innovation in Connected Healthcare
• Module 4
  Family and Community Nursing
• Module 5
  Shared Decision-Making and Empowerment of the Client
• Module 6
  Governance, Regulation, and Sustainability of the Healthcare System

The Master’s program builds on the skills of professional nurses through advanced training to ensure the acquisition and application of knowledge and skills necessary for assessing the health needs of individuals at all stages of life, as well as those of families and communities, using validated systemic and multidisciplinary approaches.

Enhancing the nursing profession—and in particular the role of the Family or Community Nurse (IFoC)—within community-based care represents a strategic step toward ensuring proactive and continuous management of health needs. This role plays a fundamental part in managing treatment adherence and in caring for frail individuals and/or those with multiple chronic conditions, promoting integration with social and health services.

This new care paradigm responds to the country’s sociodemographic changes, which require moving beyond the hospital-centered model in favor of a community-based approach. Community-based care thus becomes the primary setting for prevention, health promotion, the management of chronic conditions and frailty, and the personalization of interventions, while also ensuring continuity of care.

With Resolution No. 940 of July 4, 2024, the Puglia Region, in accordance with the Agenas Guidelines for Family or Community Nurses, formalized the implementation of this professional role throughout the region. Training programs and pilot projects have been launched, promoted by the Nursing Professional Associations in collaboration with Local Health Authorities and with the involvement of Apulian universities, with particular emphasis on the launch of the Level I Master’s Degree in Family and Community Nursing, as provided for in the Agenas guidelines.

At the national level, Ministerial Decree No. 77 of May 23, 2022, established the standard of at least one Family or Community Nurse per 3,000 residents, recognizing this role as a key figure capable of providing nursing care at various levels of complexity, in collaboration with all professionals working in the community. In compliance with this regulation—and taking into account that numerous nurses employed by Local Health Authorities have already participated in courses and pilot projects organized by the Nursing Professional Associations—the Level I Master’s Degree in “Primary Care – Family and Community Nursing” represents the natural culmination and academic formalization of this path. It enables students to acquire advanced competencies in primary care and is fully aligned with the vision of nursing specialization, for which primary care represents one of the most significant career paths.

The master’s program lasts one year, for a total of 1,500 hours, corresponding to 60 academic credits (CFU), and will be structured as follows:

• In-person lectures: 108 hours (13.5 CFU)
• Distance Learning Courses: 156 hours (19.5 CFU)
• Laboratories: 40 hours (5 CFU)
• Internship: 300 hours (20 CFU);
• Final Exam: 50 hours (2 CFU).

Attendance at the master's program is mandatory. To earn the degree, each participant must attend at least 70% of the scheduled hours.

At the end of the training program, there will be a final assessment consisting of the presentation of a project on one of the topics covered during the course. The following will be evaluated: knowledge, critical analysis skills, and communication skills.

The Master's program is open to anyone who holds one of the following degrees:

• Bachelor's Degree - SNT/1 degree category in nursing and other health professions;
• A university degree in nursing or other health care professions, or a degree obtained under the regulations in effect prior to Ministerial Decree 509/99, and/or equivalent qualifications.

Area Alta Formazione e Studi Avanzati
Servizio Master, Corsi di Perfezionamento ed Esami di Stato
Tel. 0881 338323; 0881 338312 o e-mail: [email protected], 
per informazioni di natura esclusivamente amministrativa

Segreteria didattico organizzativa del Master
presso Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche e Chirurgiche
Tel. 0881 338318 o 0881 338837 
E-mail: [email protected] o [email protected]
per informazioni di natura didattica.