NOSM Receives Award from Society of Rural Physicians of Canada

Award Recognizes M.D. Graduates’ Commitment to Rural Health Care 

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) is pleased to be the recipient of the 2010 Rural Medical Education Award granted by the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada (SRPC). Each year, the SRPC confers the Rural Medical Education Award to an undergraduate medical education program which has excelled in graduating physicians heading toward a career in rural medicine.

This year’s selection process involved choosing the medical school program that matched the most graduates to rural family medicine residency programs in the 2009 Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) results. CaRMS matches medical students, based on both student and medical school preferences, to postgraduate residency programs across Canada. In 2009, fully 40.3 percent of NOSM graduates from the M.D. program were successfully matched to rural family medicine residencies.

On behalf of NOSM, NOSM Dean Dr. Strasser expressed his gratitude for the recognition. “It is an honour for the Northern Ontario School of Medicine to be acknowledged by the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada.” He continued, “This particular award speaks to both the high calibre of NOSM graduates, and the hard work of NOSM’s staff and faculty who are committed to the School’s overall mission of educating skilled physicians and health professionals who are innovative, resourceful, sensitive, and who understand the rigours and rewards of medical practice in Northern, rural, and culturally diverse settings.”

Receipt of the Rural Medical Education Award follows previous successes. All charter class members who graduated from the M.D. program in 2009 were matched to residency programs in the first round. Over ten years have lapsed since a group of graduating students from a Canadian medical school has achieved such results.

The Society of Rural Physicians of Canada provides leadership for rural physicians and promotes equitable care for the nine million Canadians who reside in rural areas of the country.

The Award will be presented to NOSM in Toronto on April 23, 2010.