West Nipissing General Hospital (WNGH) is the newest hospital training location in Northern Ontario for MD students at NOSM University testament to its deep commitment and partnership with Northern communities in a joint endeavour to meet the need for physicians in Ontario.
As part of the MD program at NOSM University, third-year students must complete a Comprehensive Community Clerkship (CCC). Students are assigned to live and learn in small groups in designated Northern Ontario communities from September to April. The clerkship gives learners an opportunity to enhance their clinical skills and perspectives so that they become suited to medical practice in remote, rural, and underserved communities, as well as to urban practice. The focus of students' clerkship experience is delivering primary care, including Family Medicine, Emergency Medicine, and Obstetrics. These placements are critical to learning but also invaluable for communities.
"Communities like West Nipissing that host NOSM University students have a real opportunity to showcase all the wonderful things about living and working in the North," says Dr. Peter Istvan, who directs this stage of NOSM University students' education. "Third year NOSM University students will be in West Nipissing for eight months, providing the opportunity for people in the community to make lasting connections with learners, and leave them with the best possible impression."
"Exchanging knowledge as we collaborate to provide care is what this clerkship experience is all about," says Sue LeBeau, CEO of WNGH. "Our WNGH team looks forward to welcoming NOSM University learners to our beautiful community."
By integrating NOSM University medical students into its team, WNGH and the other clerkship sites across NOSM University's pan-northern distributed campus not only support the education of future physicians but also create the basis for integration into the community, enhancing recruitment and retention. This ongoing collaboration with NOSM University represents the academic aspects of education and research with cutting-edge medical care at the forefront of health care, taking learning out of the classroom and into the real world.
WNGH's commitment to both its patients and the broader community makes it a cornerstone of health care in the region, and the introduction of medical students into this environment is expected to bring fresh energy and innovation to the hospital's environment. As NOSM University expands, it welcomes other communities and hospitals like WNGH to add clerkship sites.
NOSM University has existing clerkship sites in Bracebridge, Dryden, Elliot Lake, Fort Frances, Hearst, Huntsville, Kapuskasing, Kenora, Manitoulin Island, Midland, North Bay, Midland, Parry Sound, Sault Ste. Marie, Sioux Lookout, Sudbury, Temiskaming Shores, Thunder Bay, and Timmins. West Nipissing becomes NOSM University's ninth bilingual clerkship site.
"The mutual benefits of hosting MD students during their clerkship are enormous. This new site supports NOSM University's expansion, which will ultimately lead to more doctors practising in Northern Ontario, and we urge communities and hospitals to join us and to open new sites with us," says Dr. Sarita Verma, President, Vice-Chancellor, Dean, and CEO of NOSM University.
