The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) is thrilled to announce qualifying examinations results by the School’s residents, for which all of Northern Ontario should be proud.

The results of the Medical Council of Canada (MCC) Part II qualifying examinations are in: NOSM’s residents completing training this spring ranked first among Canada’s 17 medical schools in overall performance, and achieved a 100 percent pass rate. Residents rated first in the category of legal, ethical and organizational aspects of the practice of medicine, with above-average standing in the categories of patient interaction and data acquisition.

Additionally, NOSM’s Charter Class M.D. graduates who chose residency at the School or went on to pursue residency at other medical schools across Canada did remarkably well as an aggregated group. Ranking fourth nationwide compared to other medical schools, the group of NOSM M.D. graduates from 2009 also achieved a 100 percent pass rate.

These exceptional rankings underscore the high calibre of NOSM residents, the effectiveness of the School’s undergraduate and postgraduate medical education programs, and the high quality of clinical training received from health-care professionals across Northern Ontario.

Dr. Roger Strasser, NOSM Dean, was delighted by the MCC exam results. “Our residents and Charter Class medical students should be exceptionally proud of themselves for their outstanding Medical Council of Canada Part II examination results. The people and communities of Northern Ontario should also take great pride in our learners and the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, a medical school committed to Innovative Education and Research for a Healthier North.”

The qualifying examinations administered by the MCC are a requirement of physician certification.

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) today announced that it is undergoing a reshaping of its organizational structure. Guided by the vision of Innovative Education and Research for a Healthier North, the School is modifying its structure in order to move forward, and continue to be an international leader recognized for its distinct model of distributed, community-engaged medical education and research as outlined in the School’s Strategic Plan: 2010-15.

The reshaping of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine will respond to Strategic Plan priorities identified through a full year of collaboration and consultations with NOSM faculty, staff, Board of Directors, and stakeholders across the North.

Five Priorities of Strategic Plan:

Enhancing Education Program
Strengthening Research Initiatives
Developing Learning Environment
Fostering Excellent Faculty Relations
Enhancing Collaboration and Communication with Community Partners

The School is positioning itself and is making the changes necessary to thrive and remain at the forefront of medical education and research in the reality of an economically-challenging environment.

Balanced Budget

Transformations to NOSM’s operations will enable the School to meet its fiscal obligations in an environment of fixed funding and expanding costs. NOSM’s Board of Directors policy requires an annual balanced operations budget. Operational adjustments were necessary to address a structural deficit ($1.5 M plus .5 M in loss of funding from the Ministry of Health) and to ensure the School achieves a balanced budget in 2011/12.

New Organizational Structure

In the new structure, the School’s functions will be represented by five Associate Deans (reduced from nine), who lead portfolios that reflect NOSM’s Strategic Plan priorities. Supported by the Dean’s Office and Administration, the School’s portfolios will include: Faculty Affairs, Undergraduate Medical Education, Postgraduate Medical Education, Research, Community Engagement.

NOSM functions currently represented by the portfolios of Continuing Health Professional Education, Informatics, and Learner Affairs will be redistributed.

Regretfully, this organizational change will result in a School-wide reduction of 24 management and staff positions. No faculty members will be laid off as a result of the reshaping.

“The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is positioning itself to thrive in an environment which is facing significant fiscal pressures and structural funding challenges,” said Dr. Roger Strasser, NOSM Dean. “Undergoing a reorganization that results in the reduction of positions is not an easy situation. I am personally grateful to all individuals who have contributed to the success of NOSM,” he continued.

Providing NOSM Learners with Enriched Clinical Experiences

The Northern Teaching Hospitals Council (NTHC) is pleased to announce a “Call for Nominations.” Comprised of Northern Ontario hospitals and health services that have an affiliation with the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM), the NTHC is now inviting nominees for one representative from each of the following:

– Northeastern Integrated Community Experience (ICE) Community
– Northwestern Integrated Community Experience (ICE) Community
– Northeastern Comprehensive Community Clerkship (CCC) Community
– Northwestern Comprehensive Community Clerkship (CCC) Community

The Council works collaboratively to ensure NOSM medical students, residents, and other health professional learners receive enriched clinical learning experiences, provide support for teaching faculty, and ensure high quality health services for communities in Northern Ontario.

The Council provides a mechanism for hospitals and health services in Northern Ontario to share information and teaching expertise and facilitate effective communication between the hospitals and the School. Interacting with NOSM, the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (including the Health Human Resources Strategy Division within the Ministry), and the Northeast and Northwest Local Health Integration Networks, the Council works as a team to support student learning.

NOSM delivers a distinctive distributed, community-engaged, and socially accountable medical and health professional education model which brings together over 70 communities. The Integrated Community Experience provides first-year medical students with direct exposure to various Aboriginal communities in Northern Ontario and second-year students with clinical experiences in remote and rural communities. By living and learning in a community for a four-week period, students are exposed to the realities of life and health care delivery in these various communities.

In a unique program designed by NOSM, the School’s third-year medical students complete a Comprehensive Community Clerkship in a mid-sized Northern Ontario community. Students learn in hospitals, health centres, and family practices with the support of a clinical faculty member during an eight-month placement where they benefit from immersion in community-based environments that provide them with challenges in the demands of patient-centred care under the guidance of a practicing physician.

“The Northern Ontario School of Medicine’s values the important role that the Northern Teaching Hospitals Council plays in the quality of medical education that learners receive while learning in communities across the North,” said Dr. Roger Strasser, NOSM Dean. “Partnerships such as these are crucial to the success of our community engaged model of medical education and the School’s goal of educating high-quality physicians and health professionals with the skills and knowledge to practice in Northern Ontario and beyond.”

Mr. Roger Walker, NTHC Chair and President and CEO of the Timmins and District Hospital, is pleased to be supporting NOSM’s vision of Innovative education and research for a healthier North. “It is an exciting time to be a part of the Northern Teaching Hospitals Council. Hospitals and other health-care services are well positioned and have the resources available to provide opportunities to medical students and other health professional learners. These organizations will benefit from their maturing involvement in the teaching of NOSM learners by potentially attracting physicians and health professionals back to their communities when they set up practice.”

Further information and nomination details are available at www.nosm.ca.