Nursing degree: applications up 14 per cent. And there's a boom in the healthcare professions

Physiotherapists, midwives, dietitians, radiographers, dental hygienists and, above all (once again), nurses. Young Italians are once again knocking loudly on the door of the healthcare sector, dreaming of working on a hospital ward or in a surgery after obtaining a degree in one of the twenty-two healthcare professions for which the entrance exam will be held throughout Italia on 16 September. In a week's time, over 74,000 candidates will be vying for a total of 38,184 places, over 10,000 more applications than last year (+16 per cent). In stark contrast to the previous year – when, for the first time, there were fewer candidates than places available – applications for the nursing degree programme have also seen a significant surge, rising by 14 per cent and reaching nearly 21,500 candidates for 20,672 places, compared with 18,836 candidates for 20,409 places in the 2025/26 academic year. This is good news, given the severe shortage of nurses in our country – far greater than that of doctors, which affects only certain specialities: there is a shortfall of at least 70,000, and without them our hospitals are creaking under the strain, whilst the local healthcare system risks never truly getting off the ground, with the new community care centres also needing to be staffed by nurses. The figures – which are practically final – on applications, 48 hours before the final deadline, covering 41 public universities and 9 private universities, as compiled as they are every year by Angelo Mastrillo, an expert and lecturer in the organisation of healthcare professions at the University of Bologna, show a resurgence in interest in these degree programmes following a worrying decline that has particularly affected nursing. Of course, the level of popularity varies greatly depending on the healthcare profession: the most sought-after remains physiotherapy, where applications are around six times the number of places available, but for speech and language therapy, midwifery and radiography technician courses too, applications are three to four times the number of places. And whilst applications for nursing once again outnumber places for other professions – from healthcare assistants to audiometry technicians – the number of places available is actually double the number of applications received. But how can this double-digit growth be explained? There are probably several reasons: last year certainly saw the 'fallout' from the new intake for the Medicine degree programme, which shook up the entire healthcare education sector and is now fully up and running this year. However, local careers guidance initiatives have also contributed to the rise in applications, updates to the range of courses on offer – such as the launch of new master's degrees in nursing (covering primary care, emergency care and paediatrics) at 13 universities – and a greater focus on 'what comes next', with recent collective agreements providing for pay rises for those working in the National Health Service. Alvisa Palese, Full Professor of Nursing Sciences at the University of Udine and National President of the Conference of Bachelor's and Master's Degree Programmes in Healthcare Professions, focuses in particular on thethe extensive careers guidance activities carried out, in part, through the network of the 'Tutorato Orientamento Professioni Sanitarie' project, promoted by the Conference itself, which is led by the University of Milan, with a decisive contribution from the University of Foggia and the network of all participating universities: 'The clear resurgence in the appeal of three-year degree programmes encourages us to continue along the path we have taken with even greater conviction and to expand these initiatives further,' emphasises Palese. 'This is an important sign: the healthcare professions are once again attracting a growing number of people, thanks to highly specialised training and concrete prospects for employment and job security. The results show that taking action on several fronts simultaneously – career guidance, the quality and updating of training programmes, the development of postgraduate specialisation pathways, and support for students and professionals – can consolidate this positive trend and, at the same time, help meet the growing need for healthcare professionals'.