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Residents. The nucleus of health care.

This week is Resident Doctors Appreciation 2022—a perfect time to acknowledge our residents’ hard work and their dedication to providing compassionate patient care across the region. In many cases, especially during the pandemic, residents have made the difference when it comes to keeping hospitals open in Northern Ontario.

Residents are an integral part of the health-care system. As new physicians working towards their independent practice, they continue to learn a variety of specialized knowledge and skills, and they often serve as teachers for medical students during their clinical clerkship.

Since COVID-19 changed the world as we knew it, residents have had to adapt in every possible way. Hands-on training was more difficult, access to surgical procedures diminished, redeployment to areas of critical need—often outside their scope of specialty—impacted their training. All the while having conditions, guidelines and directives changing on the fly. Loss of training in their primary speciality and redeployment to areas of critical need may have doubly impacted their education and clinical work.

There are currently 191 residents at NOSM in nine programs, spanning 14 home-base locations. In addition to their work in health clinics or hospitals, resident doctors continuously look for opportunities to gain more training, experience and mentorship.

I am incredibly proud of each and every one of NOSM’s residents. Their determination, creativity, advocacy and resilience will ensure they thrive in future practice. If you are fortunate enough to receive care from one of our resident doctors, please take a moment to recognize them during this Resident Doctors Appreciation Week.

The nucleus of our health care system, these resident doctors are the future of Northern Ontario’s physician workforce.

Resident wellness matters 

Residents, your personal health matters. You are a superhero AND you’re human! Check in with your support system. Prioritize your wellbeing. Find a creative outlet. Eat nutritious meals and snacks. Walk and enjoy the beauty of winter. Listen to a podcast. Decrease post-call obligations. Importantly, be kind and compassionate with yourself. Your wellness matters.

Dr. Diane Whitney was recently appointed as the inaugural Assistant Dean, Resident Affairs. With a focus on resident wellness, Dr. Whitney is known as a strong advocate for residents. And yesterday, our Postgraduate Medical Education team sent each resident a gift card to Tim Hortons. It’s a small token of our appreciation and a reminder of how valued you are. Please take the time for a break and a treat—it’s on us!

“The last two years tested us all in ways we hadn’t imagined,” said Dr. Rob Anderson, Associate Dean, Postgraduate Medical Education and Health Sciences. “The pandemic continues to add more and more complexity to your lives, work and training. We are proud of your incredible, ongoing strength, determination, creativity and resilience. At times you have prioritized patient care above yourself, and at other times, taken a step back and focused on your health and recharge when you needed. You have an awareness of the personal vulnerabilities of being a physician like no generation before you, and health care will be better for it! You will change the world!”

NOSM residents are Wanted

The first family medicine residents who trained at NOSM completed their program in 2009. The Charter Class of MD graduates began their residency training in 2009 as well, and entered practice in 2011. Since then, 692 residents have completed their training at NOSM in dozens of Northern communities that continue to offer unique training experiences.

Of those who completed both their MD and residency at NOSM, it is estimated that 189 physicians have stayed to practise in Northern Ontario. Physicians who completed their residency at NOSM are making waves! They are taking on teaching and leadership roles at NOSM, becoming advocates, engaging in research, and caring for those most in need through their clinical work. Each and every one is working towards a future of health care in Northern Ontario where everyone has equitable access to care.

NOSM is the medical school where resident doctors have an immediate impact on the health of the community in which they choose to practise.

Residents at NOSM – You are, Changemakers. Innovators. Leaders. Advocates. YOU ARE THE Doctors Wanted.

Thank you to all our astonishing residents. Thank you for your care, your hard work, your incredible passion as health providers and your leadership. NOSM residents are a vital contributor to helping solve the physician crisis in Northern Ontario.

Hear from five of NOSM’s residents who are practising, teaching and researching in Northern Ontario:

Miigwetch, thank you, marsi, merci,

Dr. Sarita Verma
Dean, President and CEO
Northern Ontario School of Medicine

If you have any feedback or comments, please reach out at dean@nosm.ca  and follow me on Twitter @ddsv3.

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Black History Month

February is Black History Month, a time to celebrate Black culture and the many contributions made by Black leaders—learners, physicians, academics and staff—at NOSM. We are boldly implementing a culture of anti-racism at all levels of the School. NOSM remains committed to removing social and economic barriers to medical school for Black youth and is making tangible improvements to the admissions process, curricular reform and BIPOC-led strategies that include scholarships, and advocacy and mentorship opportunities. Read more.


$1 million donation to NOSM will support 40 BIPOC women medical students


The Slaight Family Foundation is donating $1 million to support 40 BIPOC women (including trans and non-binary) NOSM medical students. The donation will establish a first-of-its-kind full entrance scholarship to increase both the number of BIPOC women physicians and contribute to the overall number of doctors in in Northern Ontario. Read more.


In the news

Drs. Jilayne Jolicoeur, Eliseo Orrantia and Lily DeMiglio and kinesiologist Lindsay Nutbrown are contributing to research that could inform solutions to help keep physicians in Northern Ontario. Their study, Why They Leave: Small town rural realities of northern physician turnover, was recently published in the Canadian Journal of Rural Medicine. The variety of common themes they’ve identified are contributing factors to be considered in future physician recruitment and retention policies across the North.


Help meet our goal!

Tbaytel is collaborating with NOSM to launch the Tbaytel Entrance Award Fund. We’re getting closer to the goal of $30,000. We’re over $22,000 now and Tbaytel will match every dollar, up to $10,000. Donate today to show your support!


Update On the Return to Campus Plan

As the government’s Reopening Ontario continues to evolve, the Emergency Response Team (ERT) has updates on NOSM’s Return to Campus (RTC) plan.

COVID-19 Vaccine Policy
Effective immediately, ERT is aligning its COVID-19 Vaccine Policy with the Ontario government’s definition of fully vaccinated. Please refer to the updated NOSM COVID-19 Vaccine Policy for more info.

Read more.

 

The Slaight Family Foundation donates $1 million to NOSM to support BIPOC women in medicine

The Slaight Family Foundation is donating $1 million to support 40 Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) women medical students attending the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) and who live in Northern Ontario. The donation will establish a first-of-its-kind entrance scholarship to both increase the number of BIPOC women physicians—including transgender and non-binary people—in Northern Ontario and contribute to the overall number of doctors in the region.

“I am deeply grateful to The Slaight Family Foundation for this gift to NOSM,” says Dr. Sarita Verma, Dean, President and CEO of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine and the School’s first female BIPOC dean. “This donation is groundbreaking. Every marginalized woman in Northern Ontario who dreams of becoming a doctor should feel inspired to apply to NOSM knowing there is financial support available.”

These newly created entrance scholarships will provide $25,000 each to 10 women entering NOSM’s MD program each year, over the period of four years. NOSM was the first medical school in Canada developed with an explicit social accountability mandate. By removing the systemic barriers and providing financial support, more BIPOC women will take their vital place in medicine. With 40 new BIPOC women physicians educated at NOSM, the number of self-identified BIPOC alumnae will double.

“This $1 million donation will have an immediate impact on future doctors in Northern Ontario,” says Dr. Verma. “It comes at a critical time—currently there is a shortage of over 300 doctors in Northern Ontario, as well as impending retirements, increasingly complex patients and entire communities without access to a family doctor.”

This, one of a total of $15 million worth of donations by The Slaight Family Foundation announced this year, is earmarked specifically for 12 organizations who support women and girls. The #SlaightInitiative is increasing opportunities for education and jobs, with a special focus on Indigenous, Black, racialized women and girls.

“The pandemic has added to the many challenges faced by women and girls across Canada. This initiative is about helping women overcome barriers and gain more equitable access to higher education and opportunities,” said Gary Slaight, President and CEO of The Slaight Family Foundation.

Dr. Verma says the donation will also foster a new culture of mentorship, encouragement and equity in Northern Ontario. “None of us can change the systemic barriers faced by BIPOC girls and women alone. This gift demonstrates the desire of the Slaight Family Foundation to be a part of NOSM’s mission—an equitable path to a brighter future for BIPOC girls and women.”

“It is an honour to announce this gift during Black History Month. We recognize the inequalities of getting into medical school and this donation aligns with the NOSM’s equity and anti-racism strategies to actively support change,” says Dr. Verma.

Every gift to NOSM makes a positive impact on our students, faculty, and researchers. Please consider making a gift.

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About the Northern Ontario School of Medicine
The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) is an award-winning socially accountable medical school renowned for its innovative model of distributed, community-engaged education and research. With a focus on diversity, inclusion, and advocacy for health equity, NOSM relies on the commitment and expertise of the peoples and communities of Northern Ontario to educate health-care professionals to practise in Indigenous, Francophone, rural, remote and underserved communities. NOSM’s graduates, faculty, learners and staff are changemakers who lead health-system transformation in Northern Ontario. The School is a recipient of the Charles Boelen International Social Accountability Award from the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada and the prestigious ASPIRE award, which recognize international excellence in social accountability and medical education.

About The Slaight Family Foundation

Since 2013, The Slaight Family Foundation has funded several strategic initiatives to multiple organizations. These initiatives started with gifts to five Toronto hospitals to support priority healthcare issues, followed by programs to address global humanitarianism, the healthy development of children and youth across Canada, support for Indigenous issues and a seniors’ initiative to help keep seniors in their homes and communities. Most recently, last year’s initiative prioritized supporting mental health due to challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Slaight Family Foundation was established in 2008 by John Allan Slaight. Allan Slaight is known as Canada’s broadcast pioneer, a leader in the music industry and a prominent Canadian philanthropist. Through his generosity, the Foundation proactively supports charitable initiatives in the areas of healthcare, at-risk youth international development, social services and culture.

Funds will also support:

  • Scholarships for BIPOC women in medicine
  • Grants for programs working to end gender-based violence, including for Indigenous women
  • Helping women facing homelessness and other socio-economic barriers to success
  • Career mentorship and leadership skills development
  • Health programs tailored specifically to racialized women, new immigrants and refugees
  • The expansion of the national eating disorder emergency chat line

For further information about NOSM, please contact: communication@nosm.ca

 

For further information about The Slaight Family Foundation, please contact:

Jeri Brown
Director, Media Profile
The Slaight Family Foundation
Phone: 416-455-7188
Email: jeri.brown@mediaprofile.com

Recognizing NOSM’s Black leaders during Black History Month

February is Black History Month, a time to celebrate Black culture and the many contributions made by Black leaders—learners, physicians, academics and staff—at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM). The accounts of racism in medicine and the events of the past few years amplify the importance of the NOSM’s anti-racism movement.

As a medical school, we are boldly implementing a culture of anti-racism at all levels of the School. NOSM remains committed to removing social and economic barriers to medical school for Black youth and is making tangible improvements to the admissions process, curricular reform and BIPOC-led strategies that include scholarships, and advocacy and mentorship opportunities.

Celebrating Black History Month will look different to each of us. We may choose to support BIPOC learners at NOSM, support Black-owned business, engage in healthy conversation about Black history in Canada, or read one of these 25 books about being Black in Canada.

As Ibram X. Kendi, writes in his book How to Be an Antiracist, “When racist ideas resound, denials that those ideas are racist typically follow.”

It’s no longer enough to be “not racist.” “The opposite of ‘racist’ isn’t ‘not racist,’” Kendi writes. “It is ‘antiracist.’”

Dr. Sarita Verma
Dean, President and CEO
NOSM

NOSM University