Medical Electives
NOSM University provides a variety of high-quality rural, remote, small urban and tertiary center clinical learning opportunities in northern Ontario, through the Northern Electives Program (NEP). NEP is designed for internal and external undergraduate medical students and postgraduate residents to complete elective placements in family medicine and specialty disciplines. All medical trainees from any medical university in the world can gain access to northern community-based clinical learning opportunities by registering for visiting electives through the AFMC Portal.
NEW: Travel and Accommodation Reimbursement for Northern Ontario Postgraduate Clinical Electives
Canadian postgraduate trainees undertaking clinical electives in Northern Ontario through NOSM University will be reimbursed for travel and accommodation expenses by Health Force Ontario (HFO) through the Nor-Star Program. Learn more.
Visit the NOSM University Clinical Elective Catalogue to browse opportunities and learn more about communities.
For more information, visit nosm.ca/electives or contact us at electives@nosm.ca.
How to browse NOSM University clinical elective opportunities across Northern Ontario
NOSM University’s Clinical Electives Catalogue is a fully interactive map that displays community profile information and general descriptions of all the elective opportunities.
Search Functionality:
Learners can search the Clinical Electives Catalogue in two different ways:
- By Discipline: This filter option will display all the communities in which the specific discipline is offered and then learners can advance their search by sub-specialty.
- By Community: This filter option will display all the disciplines offered in that specific community.
IMPORTANT FEATURE: When you are performing your search, you must click on the main disciplines name (with the grey arrows), which will produce a drop down list of all the sub-disciplines within it.
Community Information:
Learners can find out more information about the specific community they are seeking to perform placements in. When a learner selects a specific community, there will be a “Profile” link that provides helpful community information.
Quick Application:
Once a learner has decided to apply for a specific elective opportunity, they can click on the appropriate quick link (i.e., PaNDa or AFMC) which will bring them directly to the application platform.
- For PGME residents (at NOSM U or visiting residents): please use the PaNDa application link.
- For NOSM University MD students: please use the PaNDa application link.
- For visiting Canadian or international MD students: please use the AFMC Portal application link.
For more information regarding elective placement requirements and application processes please visit the Medical Electives – For Applicants section.
Clinical Elective Placements at NOSM University
Learners can expect a high-quality educational experience that often offers one-on-one individual teaching with a clinical facilitator in an exciting practice environment. Our teaching physicians are enthusiastic and knowledgeable clinical role models, who uphold a high standard of care and thrive on achieving patient well-being.
Each elective provides an opportunity to develop skills in an informal setting and offers hands-on exposure to a wide range of medical situations that are often not available in a larger urban teaching center. Each learner works closely with a clinical facilitator to meet his/her objectives, with regular feedback and evaluations. Electives are available in Family Medicine, Rural Family Medicine, and Emergency Medicine, as well as in many specialty disciplines.
The walls of the NOSM University are the boundaries of Northern Ontario and span 800,000 km2 that include Indigenous, Francophone, remote/rural communities, and urban centres. Below are 63 profiles of the more than 90 communities where NOSM University students live and learn.
Please visit our Community Profiles for additional community information provided to give learners a helpful insight into Northern Ontario communities and what they have to offer. We hope this information helps to guide your electives choices.
Contact Us