Northern Ontario School of Medicine
Encyclopedia
The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is a medical school
in the Canadian
province of Ontario
, created through a partnership between Laurentian University
in Sudbury and Lakehead University
in Thunder Bay
. Mandated both to educate doctors and to contribute to care in Northern Ontario
's urban, rural and remote communities, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine has campuses in both Sudbury and Thunder Bay.
The school is known for its small class size, its distributed model of education, heavy emphasis on enabling technologies, problem-based and self-directed learning, and early exposure to clinical skills.
. As a result, a multifaceted plan was adopted by the province, including the creation of NOSM and the adoption of special recruitment strategies. A study of medical services in Ontario, released in August of 2005, found that for the first time in many years, the region's level of medical services had improved over the previous year.
Construction on both campuses began in mid-2004, and the buildings were completed in August of 2005. NOSM accepted its charter class of 56 students in September of that same year and the school was officially opened by Premier
Dalton McGuinty
on September 13, 2005. The school received full accreditation from the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS) and the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) in February of 2009.
The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is one of only three medical schools in Canada outside of Quebec (along with University of Ottawa
and University of Calgary
) that does not require an MCAT score to be considered for admission. Furthermore, the only academic prerequisite is a university undergraduate degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0 out of 4.0. To help further its social accountability mandate, NOSM does take into account where candidates are from and whether they've studied or worked in Northern Ontario or other rural or remote places. Each year, approximately 2000 applicants compete for the 64 spots in each class. Applicants request their preferred campus at the time of their interview.
Larger community teaching hospitals:
in the north, with special focus on the physicians, residents, nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and other health care professionals in northern and/or rural communities.
Medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine. Degree programs offered at medical schools often include Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, master's degree, or other post-secondary...
in the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
province of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, created through a partnership between Laurentian University
Laurentian University
Laurentian University , was incorporated on March 28, 1960, is a mid-sized bilingual university in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada....
in Sudbury and Lakehead University
Lakehead University
Lakehead University is a public research university in Thunder Bay, and Orillia, Ontario, Canada.Lakehead University, shortened to 'Lakehead U', or 'LU', is non-denominational and provincially supported. It has undergraduate and graduate programs and a medical school.The school has more than 45,000...
in Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay
-In Canada:Thunder Bay is the name of three places in the province of Ontario, Canada along Lake Superior:*Thunder Bay District, Ontario, a district in Northwestern Ontario*Thunder Bay, a city in Thunder Bay District*Thunder Bay, Unorganized, Ontario...
. Mandated both to educate doctors and to contribute to care in Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario is a region of the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron , the French River and Lake Nipissing. The region has a land area of 802,000 km2 and constitutes 87% of the land area of Ontario, although it contains only about 6% of the population...
's urban, rural and remote communities, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine has campuses in both Sudbury and Thunder Bay.
The school is known for its small class size, its distributed model of education, heavy emphasis on enabling technologies, problem-based and self-directed learning, and early exposure to clinical skills.
History
Before the creation of NOSM, Northern Ontario had for several years been designated as "underserviced", meaning that the region's ratio of medical professionals to the general population was not meeting the standards set by the Ministry of HealthMinistry of Health and Long-Term Care (Ontario)
The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care is the Government of Ontario ministry responsible for administering the health care system and providing services to the province of Ontario...
. As a result, a multifaceted plan was adopted by the province, including the creation of NOSM and the adoption of special recruitment strategies. A study of medical services in Ontario, released in August of 2005, found that for the first time in many years, the region's level of medical services had improved over the previous year.
Construction on both campuses began in mid-2004, and the buildings were completed in August of 2005. NOSM accepted its charter class of 56 students in September of that same year and the school was officially opened by Premier
Premier of Ontario
The Premier of Ontario is the first Minister of the Crown for the Canadian province of Ontario. The Premier is appointed as the province's head of government by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and presides over the Executive council, or Cabinet. The Executive Council Act The Premier of Ontario...
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty, Jr., MPP is a Canadian lawyer, politician and, since October 23, 2003, the 24th and current Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario....
on September 13, 2005. The school received full accreditation from the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS) and the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) in February of 2009.
Admissions
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
and University of Calgary
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...
) that does not require an MCAT score to be considered for admission. Furthermore, the only academic prerequisite is a university undergraduate degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0 out of 4.0. To help further its social accountability mandate, NOSM does take into account where candidates are from and whether they've studied or worked in Northern Ontario or other rural or remote places. Each year, approximately 2000 applicants compete for the 64 spots in each class. Applicants request their preferred campus at the time of their interview.
Hospitals
Fully affiliated teaching hospitals:- Sudbury Regional HospitalSudbury Regional HospitalHealth Sciences North is a hospital located on 41 Ramsey Lake Road in the city of Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.The HSN, formerly the Sudbury Regional Hospital , was established in the 1990s as part of provincial health care restructuring program by the Mike Harris government...
Sudbury Regional Hospital - Sudbury - Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences CentreThunder Bay Regional Health Sciences CentreThunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is an acute care facility serving Thunder Bay and much of Northwestern Ontario, Canada. The hospital has 375 acute care beds. All of its patient rooms are handicapped accessible and the facility is air-conditioned with "negative pressure" rooms to...
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre - Thunder Bay
Larger community teaching hospitals:
- South Muskoka Memorial HospitalSouth Muskoka Memorial Hospital - Bracebridge
- LaVerendrye HospitalLaVerendrye Hospital - Fort Frances
- Huntsville District Memorial HospitalHuntsville District Memorial Hospital - Huntsville
- Lake of the Woods District HospitalLake of the Woods District Hospital - Kenora
- Temiskaming HospitalTemiskaming Hospital - New Liskeard
- North Bay General HospitalNorth Bay General Hospital - North Bay
- West Parry Sound Health CentreWest Parry Sound Health Centre - Parry Sound
- Sault Area HospitalSault Area Hospital - Sault Ste. Marie
- Lookout Meno Ya Win Health CentreSioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre - Sioux Lookout
- Timmins and District HospitalTimmins and District Hospital - Timmins
NOSM's Health Sciences Library
The Northern Ontario School of Medicine also operates the Health Sciences Library (HSL), formerly known as the Northern Ontario Virtual Library (NOVL) to northern health-care professionals, and the Health Information Resource Centre (HIRC) to faculty, students and residents. The HSL aims to meet the traditional and expanding information needs of NOSM's learners and faculty, as well as registered health professionals throughout the region of Northern Ontario. It sponsors in-person and technologically-mediated instruction on the latest health sciences resources and information technology, among other topics. The explicit aim is to further the practice of evidence-based medicineEvidence-based medicine
Evidence-based medicine or evidence-based practice aims to apply the best available evidence gained from the scientific method to clinical decision making. It seeks to assess the strength of evidence of the risks and benefits of treatments and diagnostic tests...
in the north, with special focus on the physicians, residents, nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and other health care professionals in northern and/or rural communities.