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Med school gets funds for tracking study

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) has received a $1.1-million endowment from the provincial government to track student and graduate feedback over a five-year period.

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) has received a $1.1-million endowment from the provincial government to track student and graduate feedback over a five-year period.

The study will seek to glean information on rural practice issues, including to what degree students and grads felt the program prepared them for practice in rural and Northern settings. It will additionally examine factors that influence students' choice of specialty, residency program and practice location.

NOSM dean Dr. Roger Strasser said the announcement was fantastic news.

“The school's goal is to graduate high-quality physicians who are innovative and culturally and emotionally sensitive and who are fully acquainted with the rigours and rewards of medical practice in Northern Ontario,” Strasser said in a news release. “This funding will allow for the tracking of NOSM's MD graduates once they complete their residency training, and subsequently measure the success of the school's unique model of community-engaged medical education with respect to addressing physician shortages in the North.”

Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci said the study would “provide insight into the impact of NOSM's programs and how they influence a physician's decision to establish his or her practice in a Northern or rural community.”

He added that the province must continue to ensure the program encourages medical students who study in the North to remain in Northern Ontario following graduation to live and practice.