NOSM’s Class of 2011 One Step Closer to Becoming Physicians

Second Time NOSM’s Entire Graduating Class Matches to Residency Programs on First Attempt

Earlier this week, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) received notice that all undergraduate medical students in this year’s graduating class successfully matched to Canadian residency programs on their first attempt. This is the second time in over ten years that NOSM is the only Canadian medical school to have all students matched in the first round of matches of the Canadian Residency Matching Service (CaRMS).

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, pediatrics, orthopedics, surgery, anesthesia, etcetera) ranging in duration from two to five years, or more. Students apply to the medical school and discipline 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 CaRMS. CaRMS then matches students, based on rankings, to postgraduate residency programs across Canada.

Dr. Lisa Graves, NOSM’s Associate Dean of Undergraduate Medical Education believes the results of this year’s CaRMS match demonstrate, yet again, how highly our students are regarded across the country. “The successful first match of our students for the second time provides testament to the training and preparation they receive through the model of distributed, learning-centred, community-engaged medical education established at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. I congratulate the students on their achievement and wish them well as the move on to the next stage of becoming fully-trained physicians. ”

“I extend my hearty congratulations to each student in the graduating class of 2011 who have worked diligently to gain the knowledge, skills, and experience to become high-quality physicians prepared for practice in Northern Ontario, and beyond,” said Dr. Strasser, Dean of NOSM. “It is important that we also 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. With their support, we are working towards fulfilling the School’s vision – Innovative Education and Research for a Healthier North.”

Over 60% of this year’s graduating class has been matched to Family Medicine programs. Many of NOSM’s graduates will continue their education in Northern Ontario, to undertake 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. Specialties to which students matched include: plastic surgery, pediatrics, dermatology, anesthesia, obstetrics and gynecology, internal medicine, ophthalmology, emergency medicine, radiation oncology, orthopedics, psychiatry, and pathology.