Introduction:
Nurses are perceived as role-model and are the largest group of health professionals caring for both healthy people and patients. They could have a tremendous impact in tobacco control, but, in Italy, their prevalence of smoking is the double of that of the general population (and delivery of tobacco-related treatment depend on own smoking status) and they have limited knowledge, skills and confidence in implementing cessation intervention, due to limited inclusion of tobacco control contents in their academic curricula. These aspects hinder their potential role in curbing the tobacco epidemic.

Methods:
In Rome, at Sapienza University, for the first time in Italy (to our knowledge), the post-degree Nursing Academic Curriculum was redesigned and tobacco management formally included in the curriculum. The smoking cessation intervention education program will start in 2020, in the 2nd year course and will be based on blended learning (didactic face-to-face including the 5-As model and simulation sessions). Pre and post assessment tools will collect data about students’ knowledge, skills and self-efficacy. Long-term effects of this blended program will be tested through an objective structured examination.

Results:
Expected results will be the improvement of nursing student’s self-efficacy in performing smoking cessation intervention, the increasing of motivational processes and perceived competence in their ability to help smokers to quit.

Conclusions:
Innovative, experiential and evidence-based smoking cessation program into academic curricula could improve nurse clinical skills in helping smokers to quit and promote nurse own quitting, increasing their awareness.