Addressing the Gaps

New Program Set to Bring More Medical Residents to the North

The new Northern Ontario Resident Streamlined Training and Reimbursement (Nor-Star) program from the Ontario Ministry of Health aims to remove barriers to training more physicians in Northern Ontario. A new portion of the program will launch on July 1 and will reimburse the costs of travel and accommodation for medical residents on elective in Northern Ontario. Data from NOSM University shows that among medical residents who complete an elective in Northern Ontario, one in five will return to practice in the North. And for learners who complete both their medical degree and a residency elective in Northern Ontario, the likelihood of pra...

Great things happen when good people come together

A reflection on community learning experiences in Marathon All of us can make contributions to communities, no matter where we are. Medical professionals and medical learners often have skills, interests, ideas, and energy to contribute to community life beyond what they offer in health care. This summer, Logan Brennan, fourth-year NOSM University medical student, spent two weeks on a rural generalist elective in Marathon. Coincidentally, one of the high school volleyball coaches was hosting a volleyball camp in preparation for the coming season. Logan—who has played at the varsity level and was a member of the Canadian National m...

Marathon doctor advises medical students to keep open mind about rural practice

Had she taken another path, Dr. Lily DeMiglio would probably be practising medicine in her hometown of Sault Ste. Marie. That’s what she first thought she’d do after graduating from NOSM University’s MD and family medicine residency programs. Little did she know that a community about 400km north of the Soo on the North Shore of mighty Lake Superior would win her heart. Dr. DeMilgio says she always found Marathon to be very charming, but more than that, she fell in love with the broad scope of work she could practise as a rural generalist: from inpatient care to the emergency room, to work in the clinic and with First Nations co...