From nursing to midwifery, there’s been a surge in applications for degree courses: 68,000 applicants for 33,958 places. Physiotherapy is the most sought-after course

Some dream of becoming physiotherapists, others dental hygienists. Some want to become midwives, whilst others wish to train as laboratory technicians. A total of 68,000 students have applied to enrol on one of the 22 degree courses in the healthcare professions, compared with a total of 33,958 places advertised across 50 Italian universities. For them, the key date will be 16 September, the day of the entrance exam. After years of sharp declines, applications for degree programmes in Nursing are on the rise again.

Meanwhile, on 15 and 16 September, general practitioners belonging to the Smi trade union are going on strike; the union has organised demonstrations and sit-ins in various Italian cities to protest against the draft agreement on the ‘Case della Comunità’.

“Among the most sought-after professions,” explains Angelo Mastrillo, lecturer in the Organisation of Healthcare Professions at the University of Bologna, to ANSA – is that of physiotherapist, with over six applications for every available place and an increase in applications from 20,919 last year to 25,146 (+20 per cent), compared with just 4,086 places on offer. In second place is speech and language therapist, and in third place, tied, are midwife and radiography technician. However, the majority of applications – over 54 per cent – are for nursing, a profession that has suffered from a chronic shortage for years. The good news is that more young people are choosing to pursue this career path.”

Almost 22,000 students will sit the entrance exam for the degree programme, for which 20,672 places have been advertised. Whilst there were 18,836 applications to train as nurses in 2025, the figure for 2026 is 3,071 higher, representing a 16 per cent increase. According to the Federation of Nursing Professional Bodies (Fnopi), this shows that “we are reaping the benefits of reforms that have recognised the need to strengthen the role of nurses at all levels”. The Nursind trade union, however, takes a cautious view: “The increase is welcome, but the ratio of applicants to available places stands at just over one. Compared with last year, when the introduction of the screening semester led to a shift in applications towards medicine,” comments secretary Andrea Bottega, “we are back to the figures of three years ago”. In short, “the battle to make the profession more attractive is far from won”. The Nursing Up trade union also tempers the enthusiasm: “It’s just the first real breath of fresh air after a long haemorrhage,” emphasises President Antonio De Palma, who highlights just how much ground has been lost in recent years: “In 2010–2011, there were 46,281 applications.”

Meanwhile, another ongoing battle continues: the one over the Community Care Centres, introduced by the NRRP and already set up to strengthen local healthcare and prevent hospitals from becoming overburdened with non-serious cases. After months of wrangling with the government, the SMI doctors’ union is back on the protest trail, with a two-day strike and demonstrations tomorrow in Rome, Rieti, Milan, Palermo, Naples and Pescara. Their objection centres on the requirement to work six hours a week within the new facilities: they are calling for this commitment to be on a voluntary basis.