Where are NOSM University Grads Working?

What do we know?

As we continue to move forward with NOSM University’s physician workforce strategy it is important for us to know where NOSM University graduates are working.  We have embarked on a process that aims to see this data updated in the autumn of each year.

Explanatory Introduction

Cohorts: The data below comes from the NOSM “tracking study” and includes all NOSM Undergraduate Medical Education (UME) graduates and all post graduate trainees who completed their training with NOSM since 2008.  The first NOSM charter class graduated in 2009. The earliest time for that cohort to complete their training and enter practice was 2011 for those who did family medicine programs.

Defining Northern, Urban and Rural: For the purposes of understanding the information below, it is also important to note that Northern Ontario is defined as north of (and including) Parry Sound.  NOSM has teaching sites in Bracebridge, Parry Sound, Huntsville and Midland, and several NOSM graduates work in those communities but they are not included in the data as having a clinical practice in “Northern Ontario”.

“Other urban communities” are defined as North Bay, Timmins and Sault Ste Marie.

Rural communities in Northern Ontario are considered to be all other communities that are not urban, so all but Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Timmins, North Bay, and Sault Ste Marie.

Indigenous Community Health Practice

NOSM University uses data from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) on where physicians have a main practice address, but recognizes there are gaps in the data.  This data does not accurately capture where Indigenous and non-Indigenous physicians practice, even part time, in a First Nation community.

NOSM University recognizes the contributions of physicians to First Nation and Métis communities.  At NOSM University, we know of several physicians working in rural and remote communities who often support and work with local First Nations in their community catchment area.  For instance, physicians with the Family Health Team located in Marathon, ON will have reach to surrounding communities such as Biigtigong Nishnaabeg and Netmaazaggamig First Nation and coordinate care of patients with the local Health Hub of services.

NOSM Graduate Practice Location Data

The information below reflects data as of January 2022.

499 physicians completed their MD at NOSM since the first graduating class in 2009, and for whom we have practice locations. Approximately 52% of this cohort are in practice in Northern Ontario.		Since 2011, there have been 214 physicians who have completed BOTH their undergraduate AND their postgraduate training with NOSM.  Of these, 189 or 88% of the total, have stayed to practice in Northern Ontario. 39 or 18% of these physicians have entered practice in rural communities in Northern Ontario.
Postgraduate training is the training that happens after completion of the medical degree.  This training can be anywhere from 2-8 years depending on whether one chooses Family Medicine or another specialty like Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, or a subspecialty.  Many learners who have completed their undergraduate degree at NOSM have not yet have completed their postgraduate training. 58% of those who have completed their postgraduate training with NOSM have stayed in Northern Ontario for practice.		Since 2008, 904 physicians have completed either their undergraduate or postgraduate training or both with NOSM.  Of these, 431 (or 48% of the total) have stayed to practice in Northern Ontario. 105, or 24% of these have entered practice in rural communities.
Since 2008, 529 Family Physicians have completed their training with NOSM, and of these 330 (or 62%) have remained in Northern Ontario to practice.  84 (25%) of these physicians practice in rural communities in Northern Ontario.		Since NOSM’s inception, 91 physicians have completed specialty training with NOSM and of those who have completed their training and entered into practice, 32 (35%) have stayed in Northern Ontario.
Of note, when NOSM, now NOSM University, was established there were two residency programs – Northwestern Ontario Medical Program (NOMP) and Northern Ontario Medical Education Corporation (NOMEC) in Thunder Bay and Sudbury respectively.  The family medicine residents in these programs completed their training as NOSM family medicine graduates (2008) prior to the first cohort of graduating NOSM UME learners graduating in 2009.  This means that the data above regarding family medicine residency includes 67 residents who entered the NOMP and NOMEC residency training programs but were considered NOSM family medicine graduates two years later when their training was completed.

NOSM Alumni and Students Share Their Experiences

Read inspirational stories of Indigenous NOSM alumni: Dr. Elaine Innes, Dr. Becky Neckoway and Dr. Zoe Michano-Furlotte.

NOSM University medical student Kevin Brosseau talks about believing in your potential for success.

Dr. Crystal Boulianne and Dr. Shyanne Fournier share what it means, as NOSM alumni, to practice medicine in French.

NOSM Grad Data 2020

The data below reflects data as of October 2020.

Of those learners who did both their undergraduate and their postgraduate training at NOSM, 89% have stayed in Northern Ontario.	Of those who have done their undergraduate MD training at NOSM (some of whom will have done their postgraduate training here, some will have done it at another institution), approximately 52% have stayed in Northern Ontario.
Of those who have done their postgraduate (specialty) training at NOSM 60% have stayed in Northern Ontario.	Of the 831 unique medical learners completing a program at NOSM (either undergraduate or postgraduate), approximately 50% have stayed in Northern Ontario.