Behind the Scenes: Electives

Wednesday September 5th, 2018 Alexandra Poling Leave a comment

In each issue of Northern Passages, individuals share a “behind-the-scenes” look at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. This edition features two members of the School’s Scheduling Unit, who share with us how they facilitate clinical rotations for NOSM learners, and engage with community stakeholders involved in clinical rotations.

Can you describe your role at NOSM, and how long you’ve been with the School?

Elise Rheaume (ER): I’ve been at NOSM for 10 years and coordinating student placement for approximately seven of those years. My role as a Community Engagement Scheduling Coordinator is to facilitate clinical rotations for Canadian visiting postgraduate residents and third-year undergraduate medical students’ core rotations in the North. I engage with community stakeholders, preceptors and others involved in the organization of clinical rotations, and I’m also involved in the recruitment of clinical placement learners to participate in the Northern Ontario Electives Program.

Tammy Blouin (TB): I’ve been with NOSM for almost 12 years, but I’ve been in this role since October 2014. As the Community Engagement Scheduling Coordinator for NOSM Learner Electives, I facilitate and coordinate the scheduling of NOSM Undergraduate and Postgraduate medical clinical placements within Northern Ontario.

What is the most rewarding part of your role?

TB: The most rewarding part of my role is contributing in a positive way to the area of student support and NOSM Clinical Scheduling Team. My position is the link between learners and the various health-care professionals and groups that provide student support; this is essential in light of the changing settings of a clinical learning environment.

ER: One of the most rewarding aspects of my position is hearing from the learners after their rotation, and having them tell us that they had a great experience in one of our communities and would recommend NOSM to their peers.

In what ways does your work with Electives support the School’s mission and vision?

ER: The work in the Scheduling Unit supports NOSM’s vision and mission by providing hands-on clinical experience with knowledgeable faculty in rural, small urban and under-serviced communities. We also facilitate learner exposure to both Indigenous and Francophone patients.

TB: The School has a focus on social accountability, and I believe that as part of our mission we need to be accountable for the learners that embark on NOSM’s elective opportunities. Electives help learners to identify their areas of interest or potential specialty during their undergraduate years. They also can encourage a transition to practice in Northern, rural and under-serviced communities following residency.

What has been the most interesting part about your work with students?

ER: Seeing a visiting learner complete some of their undergraduate and postgraduate electives with us, and then seeing them become a NOSM faculty appointed physician who is actively teaching in one of our NOSM community has been a great experience for me.

From your perspective, what impact are NOSM students and learners having in Northern Ontario communities?

TB: As learners navigate through the wide variety of elective opportunities that are available to them, they are able to grow as a physician by building positive relationships with hospital staff and NOSM faculty within the communities; these connections also increase the likelihood that they will stay in the North following their residency, which will help increase capacity and build the health-care workforce in Northern Ontario. Through their electives, students and learners are also able to better understand rural settings, as well as recognize the medical needs within our Northern communities, which ultimately allows them to provide better care for their patients.

Read more stories like this in the latest issue of Northern Passages.

Alumni Stories, Indigenous Stories

My heritage is very important to me

Gallery Monday September 3rd, 2018 Alexandra Poling

Source: Northern Ontario Medical Journal |2018/03/09 Written by: Nadine Robinson | Photo courtesy of Sarah Marie Webster

“My heritage is very important to me. I believe the fact that I am Aboriginal is where my resiliency comes from… and my determination to succeed.” – Dr. Elaine Innes.

Photo of Dr. Elaine Innes outdoors. When Moose Factory native Elaine Innes found out she was pregnant at the age of 16, she thought that her dreams of becoming a nurse were finished. Fortunately, her mother and father wouldn’t let her quit school, or give up on her dreams, telling her that education opens doors to many opportunities.

She went on attain her nursing diploma in 1990 from Northern College in Moosonee, and a BScN and a Primary Care Nurse Practitioner certificate in 1996 from Lakehead University.

“I had always wanted to be a nurse,” said Dr. Innes. “But as I took on more responsibility. I was encouraged by physicians I was working with to apply to medical school. In particular, Dr. Murray Trusler told me I would be a good doctor.”
Innes attended medical school at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, graduating in 2013, completing her family medicine residency through NOSM, based out of Timmins, in 2015.

“Medical school definitely was not easy, especially since I was 40 years old when I started,” said Innes. “I moved to Sudbury with my family, and my husband commuted to support us financially. I was thankful to have sponsorship and the bursaries I received, but we struggled financially. Adjusting to living in the city was also not easy for me and my children.”

On top of the stresses of medical school, Dr. Innes’ mother became ill and passed away in 2008. “I felt I did not have time to grieve her passing as I had to return to school. But, the fact that she was so proud of me that I got into medical school gave me the drive to continue. Because she was my mentor, encouraging me to go after what I wanted in life, I was sad that she did not see me graduate.”

Now, Dr. Innes practises family and emergency medicine and serves as a hospitalist in Timmins, Moose Factory and outlying communities such as Moosonee and Kashechewan.

A Moose Cree First Nation member, Dr. Innes’ first language was Cree.

“It’s important to be proud of who you are and where you come from. My heritage is very important to me. I believe the fact that I am Aboriginal is where my resiliency comes from… and my determination to succeed. I lived in a tent frame in my childhood years with no running water, and no electricity, but I was always told by my parents that I could do whatever I wanted to do in life as long as I worked hard. That is the message I hope youth will take away from my story.”

Dr. Innes hopes one day to return home to Moose Factory to practice medicine there full-time.

Gallery

Room to Breathe

Wednesday August 29th, 2018 Alexandra Poling Leave a comment

Promoting Medical Student Wellness at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine

Two new wellness rooms at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine are offering students and learners a space to help them cope with the day-to-day stresses of academics as well as home and family life. “When you go into medicine, there are rewards, but there are also occupational hazards,” says Cathy Schroeder, Senior Learner Affairs Officer at NOSM.

“Students may have dealt with or seen things that have affected them, or they could be feeling burned out from a combination of academics, clinical and volunteer work.” This includes burnout, depression, and anxiety. She says the rooms are part of the NOSM Learner Affairs Unit’s ongoing strategy to promote overall health and wellness among medical students.

“It is really important to have a space for students that puts wellness at the forefront,” she says. “When your job is caring for others, it can be emotionally draining and very tough mentally. The whole field of medicine is dealing with this issue, and we want to show students it’s okay to be having conversations about personal wellness and mental health; they need to take care of themselves and their colleagues.”

There is one wellness room in each of the two NOSM medical school buildings. Existing office space was converted to student wellness space with the help of a generous donation to the School. Both rooms have a reclining chair, which can be sectioned off by a curtain for privacy, a small table and chairs, a phone, a fridge and a small open space where students can practice yoga or mindful meditation. They also offer a private, comfortable space for learners who are breastfeeding.

“We’ve had a number of learners who are nursing mothers, and we’re happy that the wellness rooms offer a comfortable space to pump, or to breastfeed if they have their child on campus with them,” says Schroeder. “Wellness is broad, and we wanted to take a holistic approach so that these rooms cater to a wide range of needs.” Clare Shields, the donor who funded the two rooms, says she wanted to focus on student wellness because it’s an underserviced area for medical students, as well as those studying other health professions.

“In medicine, we tend to look at the patient, and focus on making them well and offering them the support they need, but we don’t typically offer that same support to our colleagues,” says Shields. Shields, a former nurse whose late husband was a doctor and practiced in the Sudbury area, says she saw firsthand throughout her career and her marriage how little support there was for healthcare professionals who were struggling with the stresses of their jobs. “My hope is that these rooms give students the space they need to take a step back when they are feeling overwhelmed, as well as provide the necessary tools to cope in a healthy way with the stress of being a health-care provider and student,” she says.

She says that supporting mental health and overall wellness among healthcare professionals also serves as a contribution to the community. “At the end of the day, if doctors and other health-care providers are healthy, they can provide better care for their patients,” says Shields.