School Reaches Full Complement of Medical Students for First Time

Today officially marks the first day of school for 58 new medical students at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM), following a whirlwind orientation week of exposure to the diversity and vitality of Northern Ontario.

During their unique orientation, the School’s fourth intake of medical students traveled across Northern Ontario, participated in working sessions, met physicians and community leaders, and became acquainted with their new life as a medical student. Following introductory sessions at the students’ respective home campuses at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay and Laurentian University in Sudbury, the full class of students gathered in Sudbury, where they embarked on a week-long bus excursion to Thunder Bay.

Stops along the way included Sault Ste. Marie, where the class experienced a warm welcome from physicians and local dignitaries. In Wawa, students were given a tour of Lady Dunn Hospital and were treated to a lunch with local MDs and dignitaries. In the community of Marathon, the class enjoyed a hearty barbeque at Penn Lake organized by Dr. Sarah Newbery and a group of community physicians. The final stop for the group was Thunder Bay, where they attended a dinner at Chippewa Park Pavilion, hosted by NOSM’s Aboriginal Reference Group and Aboriginal Affairs Unit, before returning to their respective campuses.

In its recruitment efforts, NOSM continues to follow its mandate of social accountability, and aims to have class profiles which reflect the cultural diversity of Northern Ontario. Demographic profiles of the 2008 incoming class show that:

■ 91% are from Northern Ontario
■ 5% are self-identified Aboriginals
■ 26% are self-identified Francophones

Almost 1,900 applications were received for the 2008-09 academic year, of which 395 were interviewed. NOSM’s Associate Dean of Learner Affairs, Dr. Gerry Cooper, noted that this was an exciting time for NOSM. “This year will mark many milestones for the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and the fourth intake of medical students is certainly one of them. With the entry class of 2008, the School is preparing 224 aspiring physicians for careers in medicine, and has reached its first full complement of undergraduate students,” he said. “On behalf of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, I officially welcome our newest students.”

Students will now get down to work and immerse themselves in all things NOSM: state-of-the-art smart classrooms, an innovative distributed learning curriculum, and a community-based learning environment with placements across Northern Ontario. Each of these elements helps to ensure that NOSM graduates physicians with an appreciation for the unique health-care needs of Northern Ontario, as well as the cultural diversity of the people who call it home.

On Friday, August 22, 2008, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) celebrated the graduation of the first class of the Northern Ontario Dietetic Internship Program (NODIP). A videoconferenced graduation celebration linked the four principal community sites – Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Timmins, and Thunder Bay – that began training the School’s dietetic interns in October 2007.

Dr. Roger Strasser, NOSM Founding Dean, congratulated the interns at the graduation last Friday. “The Northern Ontario Dietetic Internship Program’s first graduation marks the beginning of an exciting year of milestones and graduations at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. The success of the program is spectacular. I would like to congratulate the interns on their outstanding achievements, and wish them success as they begin their careers as dietitians,” said Dr. Strasser. “I would also like to thank the preceptors, partners and communities that have supported the Northern Ontario Dietetic Internship Program for their generosity and dedication.”

The achievement of a sustainable Dietetic Internship in Northern Ontario represents over six years of committed effort by a number of key stakeholders, including Dietitians Canada. Marlene Wyatt, Regional Executive Director of Dietitians Canada, was on hand in Sault Ste. Marie to congratulate the graduates. “Securing an internship program in Northern Ontario has been a long process, dating back to the first proposal in 2000. It is wonderful to see the culmination of years of dedication in such a successful program. Congratulations and best wishes to the first graduating class of dietetic interns,” she said.

With placements across Northern Ontario in rural, Aboriginal and Francophone communities, and the four principal sites, ten dietetic interns worked with, and learned from, preceptors in hospitals, public health units, long-term care facilities, and clinics. Graduates now have an appreciation for the unique health-care needs of Northern Ontario, as well as the cultural diversity of the people who call it home.

On Friday, August 22, the Honourable Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario, along with Minister for Northern Development and Mines, Michael Gravelle, as well as fellow Thunder Bay MPP Bill Mauro, announced that the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) will receive $3.3 million to assist in the expansion and upgrading of learning and clinical spaces and equipment in NOSM communities throughout Northern Ontario. This announcement was made at the West Campus of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine located at Lakehead University, in Thunder Bay.

Learners of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, which include medical students, residents, and learners in other health disciplines such as rehabilitation sciences and dietetics, undertake their clinical education in a wide range of health service settings in many communities across Northern Ontario, including small hospitals and clinics.

This funding, granted by the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC), will contribute to the capacity of NOSM learner-hosting sites to support the learners and faculty of the School. The $3.3 million will assist with increasing office and examination room capacity, purchasing technology and medical equipment, and procuring additional tools for teaching.

Dr. Roger Strasser, NOSM Founding Dean, says this generous grant will contribute to the quality of medical education experienced by NOSM learners across Northern Ontario. “What is truly exciting about this funding is that the enhancements to physical space and addition of instruments will stimulate and facilitate greater clinical learning experiences and opportunities for Northern Ontario School of Medicine learners and physician teachers,” he said.

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine was established with a social accountability mandate. From its community-based Board of Directors to its extensive reliance on Northern communities, large and small, rural and remote, to act as hosts for its students, NOSM is committed to engaging Northerners in the educational process.