>> The agreement will allow future professionals to apply scientific knowledge in real-world settings and develop clinical and human skills.
>> The initiative consolidates the strategy of the future University of Mallorca, focused on academic excellence, employability, and promoting diversification and the knowledge economy.
This morning, ADEMA signed a collaboration agreement with the Sant Joan de Déu Palma-Inca and Creu Roja de Palma hospitals for the development of curricular external academic internships for Health Sciences students at the future University of Mallorca (UMAC). This agreement establishes strategic alliances with leading healthcare institutions, with the aim of ensuring that future students of Medicine, Biomedicine, and Health and Biomedical Engineering can apply and complement their knowledge in a highly demanding hospital environment.
The Sant Joan de Déu Palma-Inca and Creu Roja hospitals in Palma, due to their long history in healthcare, offer an ideal setting for acquiring technical, methodological, and participatory skills, essential for the employment of healthcare professionals.
ADEMA President Diego González emphasized that “the internships included in the agreements will not only allow students to gain exposure to clinical practice, but will also foster their values in a supervised environment. Each student will have an academic tutor from UMAC and a tutor designated by the hospital, thus ensuring high-quality academic and professional support. The experience will be officially accredited and will be awarded credits within the curriculum, reinforcing its curricular and academic value.”
In this regard, Diego González argued that “externships in hospital settings constitute a basic component in the training of university students in Health Sciences, as they allow for the effective integration of classroom theory with clinical practice in real-life settings. This direct contact with professional reality fosters an understanding of the tasks, functions, and responsibilities performed in different healthcare, care, and community settings.”
On the other hand, it’s worth noting that exposure to hospital dynamics also fosters the acquisition of a holistic view of the profession. “The internship isn’t limited to performing procedures, but involves internalizing ethical values, understanding the human dimension of care, and assimilating the importance of interdisciplinary work. This training process contributes to consolidating clinical judgment based on experience, gaining firsthand knowledge of the different areas of specialization, exploring career opportunities, and strengthening students’ ability to act responsibly and empathetically in their relationships with patients and families, problem-solving, and decision-making in highly demanding settings,” stated Diego González.
“Creu Roja Hospitals is pleased to be able to collaborate with the future University of Mallorca in the practical training of future healthcare professionals. With this agreement, we reinforce our commitment to teaching and the transmission of knowledge,” stated Xim Torrebella, manager of Creu Roja Hospitals in Palma. “Supporting students in their internships is an opportunity for them to learn about the healthcare landscape and develop their skills in a real-life environment. We are convinced that this experience will be key to their preparation and to the quality of healthcare tomorrow,” Torrebella added.
On the other hand, the managing director of Sant Joan de Deu Hospital, Joan Carulla, explained that “this agreement reinforces our commitment to training future healthcare professionals.” “Cooperation between hospitals and universities is essential to guarantee quality practical education and to promote clinical research. With this agreement, we also provide new opportunities for students and professionals to share knowledge and experiences that will enrich the healthcare sector in our community,” he asserted.
This step is part of the strategy to consolidate the future University of Mallorca, which will offer bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in strategic areas of high social demand, most of which are not currently available in the Balearic Islands. These include Biomedicine, Biomedical and Healthcare Engineering, Medicine, Architecture, Speech Therapy, Data Engineering, Design, and Sociology. The offering will be complemented by five master’s degrees linked to these disciplines.
UMAC was founded with a clear territorial focus, oriented toward scientific excellence and committed to training highly qualified professionals. Its goal is to stem the talent drain, promote diversification and the knowledge economy, and contribute to rebalancing the university offerings in the archipelago.
The new degrees will be offered at the ADEMA campuses in Coll d’en Rabassa and Inca, as well as on a virtual campus. All locations meet sustainability, accessibility, and energy efficiency criteria.
The Inca campus will consolidate its position as an academic hub in the center of the island and houses the Es Crum University Research Center of Mallorca, dedicated to R&D&I in Architecture, Design, Technology, and Thought. The Coll d’en Rabassa campus will house the Health Sciences studies and the new University Research Center for Medical Sciences of Mallorca, with clinical simulation laboratories, interdisciplinary research spaces, and cutting-edge technology.
The project has the support of the main economic and social stakeholders in the Balearic Islands, including CAEB-CEOE, PIMEM, the Chamber of Commerce of Mallorca, the Circle of Economy of Mallorca, the Balearic Finance Circle, the Balearic Union of Healthcare Entities (UBES), ASPAS, the Biotechnology and Biomedical Cluster, and the Balearic Builders Association.
Trajectories
With more than 30 years of experience in university education and over 400 companies with active agreements, ADEMA has consolidated an innovative educational model focused on employability and applied research, which is now expanding into its own university project with an academic, economic, and social impact throughout the Balearic Islands.
The Sant Joan de Déu Palma-Inca Hospital is a non-profit healthcare center and a leading hospital within the Balearic Islands’ public healthcare network, providing geriatric care, rehabilitation, palliative care, and certain orthopedic and trauma surgery procedures. It offers a comprehensive, interdisciplinary, person-centered care model. It has three centers in Mallorca: the SJD Palma Hospital, with an area of 18,000 m2 and 200 beds; the SJD Inca Hospital, with an area of 6,000 m2 and 80 beds; and the Palma Rehabilitation Center.
The Creu Roja Hospital in Palma, a non-profit hospital integrated into the public network of the Balearic Islands, has established itself as one of the leading hospitals in Mallorca. After a thorough transformation and comprehensive refurbishment of its building and facilities in 2021, the center has completely modernized both its technological equipment and its healthcare services. It currently has a constructed area of 4,205 m² spread over three floors, 74 inpatient beds, and six operating rooms. It offers more than 20 medical specialties, along with general radiology services, a clinical analysis laboratory, an inter-hospital pharmacy, a day and rehabilitation center, and a wide range of specialized medical units.