Training Sites

Residents in this program will have a number of opportunities unique to Northern Ontario.  While the majority of the training takes place in Sudbury, the opportunity to have clinical experiences in various centers across the North, from small rural hospitals to other major centers such as Thunder Bay, provides a unique chance to understand how anesthesia is provided outside of the major teaching center, and exposure to potential career opportunities.

Core academic learning experiences take place at hospital sites throughout Northern Ontario. In addition to the communities listed below, NOSM University has affiliations with 22 hospitals where additional experiences may be sought, including, but not limited to Dryden District Health Centre, Lake of the Woods District Hospital in Kenora, Meno-Ya-Win Health Centre in Sioux Lookout, Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare, Riverside Healthcare Facilities Inc. in Fort Frances, St. Joseph’s Care Group, Temiskaming Hospital, Timmins and District Hospital, and Notre Dame Hospital in Hearst, which allows for a wide variety of unique learning opportunities.

Sudbury
Health Sciences North (HSN)

Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC)

North Bay
North Bay Regional Health Centre (NBRHC)

Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Area Hospital (SAH)

Anesthesiology Services

NOSM University’s Section of Anesthesiology provides a number of learning opportunities for trainees across Northern Ontario.  The high case acuity and clinical load ensure that trainees are constantly challenged to adapt their practice to different clinical situations that can only be experienced in Northern Ontario training sites.

We offer a balance of Royal College trained Anesthesiologists and Family Practice Anesthetists with a low learner-to-staff ratio. This affords learners a tremendous opportunity to enhance their education.

Preoperative Assessment Clinics
Residents will be regularly scheduled in the Pre-Anesthetic Clinic (PAC) as they progress through the residency. There are a number of urgent inpatient consults that are handled on call, and the residents will be the first to assess these patients.

Obstetrical Service
Health Sciences North (HSN) and the Sault Area Hospital (SAH) have active obstetrical services. Residents are responsible for a wide range of obstetrical anesthesia services, including labour epidurals 24/7.  A faculty member who is either an Anesthesiologist or FPA is assigned on call 24 hours a day. We are involved in operative deliveries, planning of high-risk deliveries, and emergencies.

Acute Pain Service (APS)
At HSN, residents have to opportunity to be a part of the Acute Pain Service team for select days over the course of their training.  The APS service includes a physician and a nurse, who are responsible for the acute pain management of patients, including single-shot or continuous nerve blocks, patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (IV PCA) pumps and epidural management.

Regional Anesthesia
The formal block room at HSN helps to facilitate resident exposure to a wide range of regional anesthetic techniques, including upper limb, lower limb and truncal blocks, single-shot peripheral nerve blocks, and continuous peripheral nerve catheters.

Chronic Pain Program
A multi-disciplinary chronic pain clinic is available both at Health Sciences North and Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC).  Residents have an opportunity to learn a wide variety of chronic pain management strategies.

Resuscitation and Trauma
Health Sciences North is the major trauma referral center for Northeastern Ontario and has a robust trauma team program.  There is also a resident-led “Code Blue Team” at Health Sciences North, and residents are responsible for being the code team leader, while a staff supervisor is always present and available.

Adult Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
Residents will complete 6 rotations in Adult Critical Care Medicine rotation at Health Sciences North.  This a closed 29-bed Cardiac/Medical/Surgical ICU with a high patient volume.  There are also opportunities to participate in the Virtual Critical Care (VCC) program that is run from HSN, providing critical care support to over 28 hospitals across Northern Ontario.  The low number of learners to faculty ratio ensures an exceptional learning opportunity.

Echocardiography
Echocardiography is becoming an increasingly important part of anesthesia practice. Already essential in Cardiac anesthesia, it is becoming more readily available in other parts of anesthesia practice. Our residents all receive some basic training in transesophageal echocardiography during their cardiac rotations. In addition, we will also likely be able to provide a focused transthoracic echocardiography course. Residents are encouraged to incorporate these skills into their practice on a regular basis.