NOSM to Establish Accredited Medical Physics Residency with Northern Academic Health Sciences Centres

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) is pleased to announce another in a long list of collaborations with the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) in Thunder Bay and Health Sciences North (HSN) in Sudbury. The academic health sciences centres have partnered with NOSM to establish an accredited Medical Physics Residency Education Program (MPREP) to train medical physicists in the North, for the North.

Medical physicists are health-care professionals with specialized training in the medical applications of physics. Their work often involves the use of x-rays, ultrasound, magnetic and electric fields, infrared and ultraviolet light, heat and lasers in diagnosis and therapy. Most medical physicists work in hospital diagnostic imaging departments, cancer treatment facilities, or hospital-based research establishments.

“With the support of Cancer Care Ontario, Thunder Bay and Sudbury have had medical physics training programs in place for many years,” says Dr. Peter McGhee, Program Director of NOSM’s Medical Physics Residency Education Program and Head of Medical Physics at TBRHSC. “Although they evolved independently, there were many commonalities between the programs in existence at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and Health Sciences North in Sudbury so establishing a consolidated accredited program under the auspices of NOSM was a rather natural next step in advancing the standard of resident education.”

“The objective of this Northern-based program is to provide practical training and experience in the clinical application of medical physics within the specialty of radiation oncology,” says Dr. Michael Oliver, Associate Program Director and Medical Physicist at HSN. “The primary goal of the program is to provide, in a safe and professional environment, comprehensive clinical training in radiation oncology physics through the consolidation of clinical teaching faculty, staff, and educational resources of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine and the two Northern Ontario cancer centres.”

During the course of the program, residents (one in Thunder Bay and one in Sudbury) are formal full-time employees of the academic health sciences centres. They are expected to enhance their learning experience with contributions to the clinical work in a manner corresponding to the progression of their level of training.

“The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is pleased to be expanding our existing partnerships with the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and Health Sciences North,” says Dr. David Marsh, NOSM Acting Dean and Associate Dean, Community Engagement. “The School was founded on the premise that if health professionals are trained in the North, they are more likely to stay and practice after completion of their education. This program will expand the breadth of NOSM-educated health professionals who are contributing to the School’s vision of Innovative education and research for a healthier North.”

About Health Sciences North
Health Sciences North is improving the health of northerners by working with our partners to advance quality care, education, research and health promotion. HSN is grateful for the ongoing support of the community through the HSN Foundation, the Northern Cancer Foundation, the NEO Kids Foundation, and the HSN Volunteer Association.

About the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is a leader in Patient and Family Centred Care and a research and teaching hospital proudly affiliated with Lakehead University, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine and Confederation College.