NOSM’s Charter Class Takes Next Step Towards Becoming Physicians

Only Medical School in Canada to Have Entire Class Match to Residency Programs on First Attempt

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) is pleased to announce that all undergraduate medical students in its Charter Class have successfully matched to Canadian residency programs on their first attempt. In fact, NOSM was the only Canadian medical school in which all students were matched in the first round.

Each student, in their final year at a Canadian medical school, must apply for residency training to become a fully-trained physician. Postgraduate residency programs are offered at all Canadian medical schools in various disciplines (for example, Family Medicine, Orthopedics, Surgery, Anesthesia, Pediatrics, etcetera) ranging in duration from two to five years, and beyond. Students apply to the discipline and the medical school of their choice, and are then granted interviews after which both the student and the program they have applied to rank each other for preference through the Canadian Residency Matching Service (CaRMS). CaRMS then matches students, based on rankings, to postgraduate residency programs across Canada. Monday, March 9, 2009 marked the date of the first of two rounds of matches facilitated by CaRMS.

Dr. Maureen Topps, NOSM’s Associate Dean of Postgraduate Education, was confident that NOSM undergraduates would do very well in the match, but was thrilled about the remarkable rate of success. “It is unusual to have all medical students of one medical school match in the first round. It certainly speaks to the quality of education demonstrated by the Northern Ontario School of Medicine’s first graduating class. This is excellent news both for the School and students of the Charter Class.”

Dr. Topps sentiments are reinforced by Dr. Joel Lanphear, NOSM’s Associate Dean of Undergraduate Medical Education. “The successful first match of our Charter Class students provides testament to the years of preparation, selection process, and distinct model of medical education that has been established at the School. I would particularly like to acknowledge the dedication of the School’s Charter Class, and the overall quality that these students have come to represent. I congratulate them on their achievement.”

Dr. Roger Strasser, NOSM’s Founding Dean, was delighted to receive the exceptional outcome of the residency match for the School’s first-ever graduating class. “This is another great milestone for the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. The results of this year’s CaRMS match very tangibly demonstrates how highly our students are regarded across the country. I applaud the tireless efforts of our physicians, faculty and staff at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine who have worked so hard to contribute to this success, and extend my full congratulations to each and every one of the Charter Class students on this accomplishment.”

A significant proportion of NOSM’s Charter Class students will continue their education in Northern Ontario, beginning their residency training in various NOSM postgraduate training programs. The remainder will represent NOSM across the country in residency programs at other medical schools, in some cases to gain specialized training not available in Northern Ontario. NOSM is also pleased to have attracted significant numbers of medical students from other institutions to its residency programs, paving the way for more physicians-in-training to gain exposure to Northern health issues.