Northern medical students staying in the north, choosing family medicine, NOSM U says

NOSM University says it is succeeding in its mission to help create a healthcare workforce to serve northern Ontario.

NOSM University, formerly the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, teaches medical students at campuses in Sudbury and Thunder Bay and was the first Canadian medical school to be given degree-granting status as an independent university. An undated photo of the NOSM Sudbury campus. (Supplied/NOSM University)

According to a recent news release from the university, 38 of the 69 eligible MD students at NOSM U were matched to family medicine residencies – at 55 per cent, this is the highest proportional residency rate in Canada.

Officials with the medical school added that 36 of the graduating MDs (52 per cent) will be doing their medical residency training at NOSM U.

“This is important because about 90 per cent of learners who do both an MD degree and a residency in the north, stay in the north,” reads the release.

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Dr. Sarita Verma, NOSM U's president, vice-chancellor, dean and CEO said the school is “ecstatic”  with the results.

“The numbers speak volumes, not only about what drives our MD students, but where they want to be,” she said.

NOSM U said this exceptional family medicine match rate is part of a continued success story at the medical school, with more than half of MD students on average choosing the discipline.

The school also released a video (shown above) outlining key details of its family medicine program last week.

“NOSM University is doing its part to connect northern Ontarians to high-quality health care,” said Verma.

“We are so proud of all of our graduates, and thank everyone who has helped them along the way.”

Other members of the class have matched at other schools across the country in other residency programs, such as internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, emergency medicine, radiology, psychiatry, pediatrics, physical medicine, rehabilitation and others.

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NOSM U, formerly the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, teaches medical students at campuses in Sudbury and Thunder Bay and was the first Canadian medical school to be given degree-granting status as an independent university.