Comunità di San Patrignano is a therapeutic community housing people with drug addiction problems from all over the country free of charge. The community’s approach focuses on the individual and his or her needs and is also implemented by providing the residents with personal and professional growth opportunities to support their social and professional reintegration. In fact, in parallel with its re-education programme, San Patrignano offers a variety of education and training opportunities, which are considered fundamental tools to support the reintegration of former drug addicts as active and responsible members of society. IMPact Foundation supports the delivery of a Nursing Aide course for three years (May 2021-February 2022, July 2022-April 2023 and September 2023-June 2024 and January 2024-January 2025). The course is targeted at 18-20 trainees each year. 

The duration of the training programme is 1,000 hours (550 classroom hours and 450 hours of internship training) over 9 months. To be eligible for the final exam, students must have attended at least 70 per cent of the classes and successfully passed 70 per cent of the tests. Boys and girls enrolled on the course are required to complete a 450-hour internship in health and social care facilities once they have completed their classroom hours. The 450 hours of internship are divided into two programmes, both of which are mandatory for the students.  The first is aimed at hands-on learning of all aspects of care and nursing in a social care setting, whereas the second is aimed at facilitating hands-on learning of all aspects of care and nursing in a healthcare setting. The social care internship takes place in the San Patrignano Residential Care Home, which houses terminally ill AIDS patients and people with drug-related illnesses. The facility has 30 inpatient and 20 outpatient places.

The sociomedical internship, conversely, takes place in some wards of the Rimini Hospital where San Patrignano residents are accompanied by educators and tutors from the Community. At the end of all theoretical and internship units, the students take a final exam that allows them to be awarded a Professional Nursing Aide Qualification Certificate. Qualified students are supported by Community experts in the creation of their CVs and in the active search for a relevant job in health and social care facilities in the local area.