Registration Basics

The PGME Office, upon recommendation of the Program Director, makes appointments (at the beginning of your residency) and reappointments (you must re-register every year of your residency) to training programs. The office is responsible for the registration of all postgraduate trainees, as outlined in the Letter of Appointment with the following:

• Affiliated Hospitals in Northern Ontario
• The College of Physicians & Surgeons of Ontario for licensure
• Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) (verification of CMPA on behalf of the teaching hospitals)
• Verification of appointment, PGY level, change of status to payroll
• Verification of immunization for affiliated teaching hospitals
• Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada/the College of Family Physicians for verification of training and completion of the FITER.
• The Medical Council of Canada – Verification of postgraduate registration in order to access examinations.

*Please note, it is extremely important to return your signed Letters of Appointment to the PGME Office by the specified deadline each year. You will not be able to start rotations or see patients without a license.

The annual registration fee payment is required to maintain your registration with the PGME Office at NOSM University and your training program. All registered postgraduate medical education residents, including those on any leave type, must pay the registration fee annually. This is consistent across Ontario medical schools.

For the 2024-25 academic year, the registration fee payment required is $945.00. The fee must be paid prior to July 1^st or there will be a lapse in training/registration.

The annual registration fee is set by agreement across all Ontario medical schools, and is not a tuition fee. The fee covers costs associated with registering a postgraduate learner including general administration of appointments, credentialing, processing of leaves of absence, processing of immunizations records and VSS records, certificate production,  IT maintenance and support and other general resources. Residents receive a T2202A form for tax purposes annually.

In the event that a PGME resident is off-cycle for any reason (i.e., finishing after June 30^th in an academic year), they are required to pay the full registration fee prior to the start of each academic year, and once completed training entirely, they may apply to have a prorated amount of their registration fee for that current academic year only refunded by submitting a Request for Registration Fee Refund Form within 30 days of your completion of training.

Upon receipt of the request for registration fee refund form, the PGME Office will process the refund, confirming the end of training date and will submit the request to the Finance department within 5 business days.

The Finance department will process the refund request within 10 business days and will confirm with PGME Office once completed.  Residents will receive an email from PayMyTuition (MTFX Inc.) to their NOSM U email account with a one-time refund code and will also receive Self-Service Refund Instructions from the PGME Office with information on how to receive their e-transfer registration fee refund.

Questions regarding PGME registration fee refunds can be sent to pgregistration@nosm.ca

The PGME office will provide written verification of registration required for banks and lending agencies (Confirmation of Training Letters) upon request. Please send your request to postgrad@nosm.ca asking for a Confirmation of Training Letter to be sent to you. The letter will be sent to you directly in within five business days.

During the yearly registration process, residents must submit a completed NOSM University Immunization Form to the PGME office. Forms to be completed will be sent to you directly.

The PGME office sends verification of immunization status to all Northern Ontario hospitals during the credentialing process.

N-95 Mask fit testing will be completed during your first hospital orientation, after which it will be required every two years.

Note: If you do not submit proof of immunity by completing the appropriate form by the deadlines, you will not be able to start training or see patients.

All residents are provided with a NOSM University email address for official correspondence related to your NOSM University residency. We encourage you to check your NOSM University email daily.

The program and PGME Office will only communicate to residents using NOSM University emails. This is to ensure consistent records and receipt of all messages.

You can keep your NOSM University email for life, which we encourage as this also ensures ongoing receipt of continuing medical education opportunities after completion of training from NOSM University.

The NOSM U PGME Office is unable to receive mail on behalf of residents and any mail received on either main campus will be confidentially disposed of.

Please ensure that your CPSO license does not identify NOSM University as your Primary Location of Practice.  Primary location of practice should be identified as your home base hospital location. This will ensure that confidential patient information is not faxed or sent to generic NOSM numbers and unsecured points of mail delivery.

PaNDA is a computer system that has been developed for NOSM University to consolidate and streamline the processes and information involved with Clinical Rotations, Online Applications to the Northern Ontario Electives Program, Clinical Facilitator Availability, Learner Leave Requests and Housing. Using your NOSM University credentials, you will be able to log into PaNDA in order to access your schedule, leave requests and housing information. The PaNDA How to Guide can be found online under Postgrad Publications and Resources. If
you have any difficulties, questions or concerns email nosmpanda@nosm.ca for assistance.

The PaNDa How to Guide is linked here for your reference.

Elentra is a web-based system used for the assessment of residents and preceptors and will contain all NOSM University clinical rotation evaluation forms in an easily accessible format. Both residents and preceptors will submit assessments/evaluations through NOSM University Elentra.

Please note that you should still refer to PaNDA as the primary source for information on your schedules and for accommodations.

Elentra Support
If you have questions about NOSM University Elentra, or are experiencing technical difficulty, please contact pge.evalandassess@nosm.ca

Please refer to the Evaluation and Assessment section for more information.

All forms that residents are required to complete can be found online under Policies, Procedures and Forms. This is your ‘go-to’ site for forms related to leaves, rotation changes, travel expenses, appeals etc. This section of the NOSM University website also contains policy information referred to throughout this handbook.

Proximity Cards
If you need to access campus facilities after business hours, you may do so by arranging for a proximity (access) card. Access will be allowable until 11:00 p.m., and on weekends if required. To obtain a proximity card, contact your program coordinator.

PGME Certificates of Completion are issued to confirm the successful completion of residency or clinical fellowship training with NOSM University.  Certificates are produced for registered trainees who have successfully completed their residency training program in accordance with the requirements of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) or the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC); and for fellows who have successfully completed the goals and objectives of their clinical fellowship program.

Schedule of Certificate Printing

PGME resident certificates of completion will be printed twice per year as follows:

• July print – Residents completing training between January 1^st – June 30^th
• January print – Residents completing training between July 1^st and December 31^st

Certificate Processing

Programs will confirm date of completion with the PGME Office.  Once the training end date is confirmed, the PGME Office will email a survey to residents to confirm:

• The preferred name that is to appear on the certificate of completion
• The preferred method of receiving the certificate (1) Having their certificate couriered to a preferred mailing address or (2) Picking up the certificate directly from the NOSM University Library (Sudbury or Thunder Bay campus). Residents who choose to pick up their certificate of completion will be required to bring proof of ID.

Once the survey results are received by the PGME Office, a request will be submitted to the Office of the Registrar for printing of the certificate of completion, certificates will be distributed based on the date of completion as noted in the above schedule of printing.

If you have any questions related to the new certificate process, please feel free to reach out to postgrad@nosm.ca for clarification.

Up-to-date contact information ensures that important communication reaches you in a timely manner.

If you need to update your personal information, please forward a Name and Address Change Form (HR Form 08.001) to pgregistration@nosm.ca.  You are also responsible to provide the PGME Office with an Emergency Contact during registration and ensure this contact information is up-to-date.

It is your personal responsibility to ensure that your current contact information is registered with:

• Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA)
• College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC)
• College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO)
• Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC)
• It is also your responsibility to ensure that the PGME Office has up to date Emergency Contact information on file.

The NOSM University payroll department provides new residents with payroll and bank direct deposit forms. Completed forms must be submitted prior to the start of training, otherwise payment will not be processed on time.

In order to access your benefit information, you will need your Plan Contract Number that is sent to you by the payroll department. Benefit information can be found online by visiting the Manulife Group Benefits webpage.

Health Sciences North
Although Influenza immunization is not mandatory, it is strongly recommended.

Those choosing not to be immunized MUST wear a mask during the entire flu season (October-April), except when at Tim Horton’s, or in the cafeteria.

Residents are responsible for informing HSN’s Occupational Health and Safety Department of the status of their flu shot, as they maintain the hospital’s database.

Should a resident acquire Influenza A, they can return to work once they are 24 hours symptom free.

If there’s an outbreak in the hospital, measures include:

• If immunized, residents will be offered Tamiflu as an additional precaution, but they are not required to take it. There would be no restrictions on working on the unit where the outbreak has occurred.
•  If a resident has not been immunized, or has been immunized for less than two weeks prior to the outbreak, residents are given Tamiflu (through the Pharmacy Department) and must wear a mask to work on the unit/area where the outbreak has occurred. Residents can only be assigned to the unit where the outbreak has occurred if they have been immunized more than two weeks prior, or have started to take Tamiflu immediately after the outbreak has been declared.

Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre
Although Influenza immunization is not mandatory, it is strongly recommended.

Should a resident acquire Influenza A, they can return to work once they are 24 hours symptom free.

If there’s an outbreak in the hospital, measures include:

• Non-immunized residents would not be permitted to work on the unit where the outbreak has occurred
• The resident can choose to get immunized.
• The resident can take Tamiflu, which can be acquired in the TBRHSC Occupational Health and Safety Department.

Community Sites
Residents are required to check-in with the Occupational Health and Safety Departments at all other community sites to inquire about their immunization requirements.