NOSM Welcomes Fourth Intake of Medical Students

School Reaches Full Complement of Medical Students for First Time

Today officially marks the first day of school for 58 new medical students at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM), following a whirlwind orientation week of exposure to the diversity and vitality of Northern Ontario.

During their unique orientation, the School’s fourth intake of medical students traveled across Northern Ontario, participated in working sessions, met physicians and community leaders, and became acquainted with their new life as a medical student. Following introductory sessions at the students’ respective home campuses at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay and Laurentian University in Sudbury, the full class of students gathered in Sudbury, where they embarked on a week-long bus excursion to Thunder Bay.

Stops along the way included Sault Ste. Marie, where the class experienced a warm welcome from physicians and local dignitaries. In Wawa, students were given a tour of Lady Dunn Hospital and were treated to a lunch with local MDs and dignitaries. In the community of Marathon, the class enjoyed a hearty barbeque at Penn Lake organized by Dr. Sarah Newbery and a group of community physicians. The final stop for the group was Thunder Bay, where they attended a dinner at Chippewa Park Pavilion, hosted by NOSM’s Aboriginal Reference Group and Aboriginal Affairs Unit, before returning to their respective campuses.

In its recruitment efforts, NOSM continues to follow its mandate of social accountability, and aims to have class profiles which reflect the cultural diversity of Northern Ontario. Demographic profiles of the 2008 incoming class show that:

■ 91% are from Northern Ontario
■ 5% are self-identified Aboriginals
■ 26% are self-identified Francophones

Almost 1,900 applications were received for the 2008-09 academic year, of which 395 were interviewed. NOSM’s Associate Dean of Learner Affairs, Dr. Gerry Cooper, noted that this was an exciting time for NOSM. “This year will mark many milestones for the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and the fourth intake of medical students is certainly one of them. With the entry class of 2008, the School is preparing 224 aspiring physicians for careers in medicine, and has reached its first full complement of undergraduate students,” he said. “On behalf of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, I officially welcome our newest students.”

Students will now get down to work and immerse themselves in all things NOSM: state-of-the-art smart classrooms, an innovative distributed learning curriculum, and a community-based learning environment with placements across Northern Ontario. Each of these elements helps to ensure that NOSM graduates physicians with an appreciation for the unique health-care needs of Northern Ontario, as well as the cultural diversity of the people who call it home.