The network - Towards Unity For Health

MEMBER AND ORGANISATIONAL NEWSINTRODUCING MEMBERSNorthern Ontario Schoolof MedicineThe Northern Ontario School of Medicineserving Northern and rural communities.(NOSM) in Canada is a pioneering Faculty ofNOSM will train physicians able to practiceMedicine. For the whole of Northern Ontario,and engage in research anywhere in thethe School is a joint initiative between Lake-world, but who have a particular under-head University and Laurentian University,standing of people in Northern and remotewith main campuses in Thunder Bay andsettings.Sudbury, and multiple teaching and researchsites distributed across Northern Ontario.InnovationNOSM faculty, staff, and students do notA medical school like no other, NOSM has afunction in a traditional medical schoolstrong emphasis on the special features ofbuilding. Rather, the walls of the School areNorthern Ontario. These include: a diversitythe boundaries of Northern Ontario, and atD E C E M B E R 2 0 0 8of cultures and geographical locations; varyingillness, injury and health status patternswith their specific clinical challenges; a widerange of health service delivery modelswhich emphasize supporting local healthcareand interdisciplinary teamwork; and thepersonal and professional challenges, re-any given time an individual may be workingat one of the School’s two campuses, or in aremote rural or urban community.One of the most important innovations todate has been on the distributed communityengagededucation front. In their first year,Over 70 distributed communityengagedlearning sitesThe LNGs also provide a mechanism for bothan individual community and the School tostay abreast of each other’s respective developments.Membership of the LNGs varies,N E W S L E T T E R N U M B E R 0 2 | V O L U M E 2 7wards and satisfactions of medical practicein Northern and rural environments.NOSM is the first Canadian medical schoolestablished with a mandate to be socially accountableto the cultural diversity of the regionit serves, including: Aboriginals, Francophones,remote communities, small ruraltowns, large rural communities and urbancentres. Evidence of this mandate can befound in the School’s curriculum, administrativestructure, research programme, studentdemographics, continuing professional educationprogramme, and more (see www.nosm.ca).Our Vision and MissionNOSM is a pioneering Faculty of Medicineall students (in pairs) spend four weeks livingand learning in an Aboriginal community(Module 106). In the second year, they dothe same for eight weeks in remote and ruralcommunities (Modules 108 and 110), andthey spend the entire third year in a ComprehensiveCommunity Clerkship (CCC) within alarge rural or smaller urban centre. In thesecentres, Local NOSM Groups (LNGs) havebeen created, made up of local educatorsand community volunteers, to ensure localrepresentation within the School, and to facilitatethe smooth integration of medicalstudents into communities by means of orientationprogrammes and introductions tocommunity members.The third-year students acquire practical,depending on the need and desire of eachcommunity. Generally, membership includesbroad representation from faculty, communityleaders, individuals, and local healthcareprofessionals. Groups meet on a regularbasis and discuss such issues as: recruitment,retention, showcasing the community,travel, support for NOSM students, linguisticand cultural issues, and any other issue theGroup feels is of importance to both NOSMand its community.While the School has two main campuses inSudbury and Thunder Bay, we see thewhole of Northern Ontario as the true campusof the school. The map shows all thecommunities in Northern Ontario where ourundergraduate and postgraduate learnersworking to the highest international stan-patient-centred learning through the CCCundertake part of their training. Social ac-dards. Its overall mission is to educate skilledprior to completing their studies in the Re-countability to these engaged communitiesphysicians and undertake health researchgional Academic Health Centres in Sudburyremains foremost in our strategic plan.suited to community needs. In fulfilling thisand Thunder Bay. As the School continues tomission NOSM will become a cornerstone ofevolve, more LNGs will be included in a pro-Marc Blayney | Vice Dean, Department ofcommunity healthcare in Northern Ontario.gressively expanding network of relation-Professional Activities, Northern Ontarioships, thus fulfilling NOSM’s commitment toSchool of Medicine, CanadaOur Studentsbuild partnerships with communities andEmail: marc.blayney@normed.caNOSM will seek out qualified students whohealth organisations across all of Northernhave a passion for living in, working in andOntario.30