On Friday, March 28, 2014, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) was presented with the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada (SRPC) Rural Medical Education Award. Each year, the SRPC awards an undergraduate medical program that has excelled matching the most graduates to rural family medicine programs through the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) process.

In 2013, 64% of NOSM’s graduating MD class matched to a rural family medicine residency program.

NOSM Dean, Dr. Roger Strasser, accepted the award on behalf of the School at a dinner held by the SRPC in Banff, Alberta. “The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is honoured to receive the Rural Medical Education Award from the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada for a fifth consecutive year,” says Strasser.

NOSM is now preparing for the upcoming graduation of its sixth class of MD graduates, 56% of whom have chosen to complete residency training in rural family medicine.

“The School was founded on the premise that if you select medical students with an affinity for the North, and have them live and train in the North, they will stay in the North,” says Dr. Strasser. “Those choosing to pursue a residency program in rural family medicine are most likely to stay in the North. Having received this recognition for a fifth consecutive year is a sign that NOSM’s model of distributed, community engaged medical education is working.”

Over 215 health-care professionals from across the North are participating in the Northern Ontario School of Medicine’s (NOSM) third annual Northern Constellations 2014 Faculty Development Conference on April 4-5, 2014.

This weekend, NOSM faculty members will rotate through a series of four interactive workshops with a wide range of topics covering their roles and responsibilities in the areas of teaching and preceptoring; research and scholarly activities; and, educational leadership. Over 30 workshop options will provide each participant with an opportunity to attend a combination of educational sessions addressing their own personal learning eeds. Faculty development events, such as this, allow NOSM faculty from across the North to build relationships, collaborate on projects, and discuss future opportunities for those who are committed to the education of high quality physicians and health professionals in Northern Ontario.

“Over the past three years, Northern Constellations has continued to grow and increase its impact on the further development of NOSM faculty, educational staff, and learners,” said Dr. James Goertzen, NOSM’s Medical Director, Faculty Development. “The diverse program this year is the result of the commitment and expertise of the conference presenters along with their passion for educational excellence.”

Outstanding Faculty Members Recognized

NOSM faculty members are making outstanding contributions to research, patient care, and medical education. The Faculty Peer Awards of Excellence were developed to recognize the contributions of the School’s faculty in providing Innovative education and research for a healthier North .

Five faculty members will be recognized during an awards dinner on Friday, April 4, 2014. Congratulations go to Dr. David MacLean (Academic Leader), Dr. Brent Kennedy (Clinical Teacher), Dr. Jo-Anne Clarke (Medical Educator), Ms. Kirsti Reinikka (Clinical Scholar) and, Dr. TC Tai (Scholar).

Decomissioned Superior North EMS Ambulance Assists in Training Health-Professional Learners

NOSM is engaged in a pilot project to provide high-fidelity, mobile simulation to Northern Ontario. Based at NOSM’s West Campus at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, this project uses a decommissioned Superior North EMS ambulance to transport high-fidelity, computerized mannequins and equipment to communities across Northern Ontario. This project addresses the learning needs of health-care learners and practitioners in a cost-effective manner by removing the need to replicate expensive simulation environments and equipment in multiple communities. Transporting simulation equipment is only one of multiple approaches that NOSM wishes to use to support simulation-based education in its distributed sites.

Earlier today, the Simbulance was unveiled, demonstrating a visible and tangible commitment to addressing regional learning needs. It provides safe transportation for expensive equipment and trained personnel and also can be used a realistic learning environment.

The ambulance was ‘decommissioned’ before ownership changed to NOSM: identifying words such as Superior North EMS, ambulance, 911 etc. were all removed; flashing light bars removed; siren removed; public address/annunciator removed. All this is done so that a decommissioned unit cannot be mistaken for a true ambulance. The Simbulance graphic wrap features NOSM students, and Superior North EMS and City of Thunder Bay logos appear on rear door as supporters of the Simbulance and NOSM.

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) has incorporated suicide awareness training into NOSM’s MD curriculum in an effort to respond to the high rates of suicide in the region.

First-year students at NOSM now undergo safeTALK training, a three-hour program created by LivingWorks that trains participants to identify persons with thoughts of suicide and to connect them with suicide first aid resources. NOSM is also developing and piloting other tools designed to help medical students deal with suicide in their future practice as physicians.

“The Northern Ontario School of Medicine was the first medical school in Canada established with an explicit mandate to improve the health of the people and communities that it serves,” explains Dr. David Marsh, Interim Associate Dean, Undergraduate Medical Education. “Integrating safeTALK training into our MD curriculum supports students and future health professionals of Northern Ontario in responding to the increased prevalence of suicide and self-inflicted injuries in the North.”

Community support workers, including youth, are currently receiving and facilitating safeTALK workshops in approximately half of Nishnawbe Aski Nation’s 49 member communities, which is strengthening the resiliency of NAN First Nations members.

“SafeTALK training is a vital resource to help identify and prevent potential suicide in NAN First Nations, the majority of which are remote and lack adequate professional heath care resources, and goes hand-in-hand with ASIST training to provide direct aid to individuals who may have thoughts of self-harm,” said NAN Deputy Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler, who holds the health portfolio. “We need to change mindsets from coping with suicide to advancing life promotion through programming and training in order to build resilient, healthy communities.”

“As a medical school committed to improving the health of Northern Ontarians, we need to play our part in reducing the shockingly high number of deaths that occur from suicide in our region,” says Dr. Brian Ross, NOSM Professor and Phase 1 Coordinator.

“People hear about an issue such as suicide and think, ‘this is bigger than me.’ But, there are tangible changes that we can all make – including talking about suicide – that go a long way in reducing stigma and breaking myths,” says Scott Chisholm, founder of the Collateral Damage Project. “NOSM’s incorporation of safeTALK into their curriculum demonstrates their leadership and commitment to a healthier Northern Ontario. I am so excited about the partnership between NOSM and Collateral Damage, and the potential we have for inciting positive change in Northern Ontario.”