UniCamillus students learned how to become heroes – no superpowers needed, just attending last Saturday’s event on March 23rd titled “Be a Hero, Save Lives”. The event was orchestrated by the SIGMA association in collaboration with the Squicciarini Rescue – International Training Center. Throughout the day, at the University’s UniHall, 70 students from the UniCamillus MSc Medicine and Surgery and the MSc Dentistry and Dental Prosthetics grasped the fundamentals of BLSD, an acronym for Basic Life Support Defibrillation. In layman’s terms, these future doctors were shown and practiced first aid maneuvers using defibrillators.
“The most wonderful thing about today – stated SIGMA UniCamillus President Francesco Ingusci – was not just learning life-saving techniques, but organising an event that engaged numerous youngsters who might potentially save hundreds of lives. This fills us with pride and gives us the strength to continue and organise events like this.”
The course is designed specifically for healthcare personnel and structured to develop teamwork skills among various professionals in the field. Both theoretical aspects and practical simulations were conducted in English. This is in line with the rest of the study programme the students are completing at UniCamillus (all lessons and exams in the MSc Medicine and Surgery are taught in English). Under the guidance of professional rescuers, the students practiced cardiac massage, airway clearance maneuvers, and first aid techniques on digital mannequins, including adult, child, and infant models. For each, there are coded intervention procedures that a rescuer must know to respond promptly and effectively. The participants also witnessed demonstrations and actively engaged in using state-of-the-art defibrillator machines. At the end of the event, they all received the international certificate from the American Heart Association (BLS-Health Care Provider) and the Ares certificate, accredited to the National 118.
In essence, thanks to this initiative, these future doctors have acquired a globally recognised qualification before even graduating – a credential now mandatory for any doctor before beginning their career. “Investing in the young generations of healthcare students is a source of great satisfaction for us,” commented the trainers from Squicciarini Rescue, “congratulations to the Sigma UniCamillus student association and all the future colleagues for achieving the international certification today”.
