NOSM University is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
A five-year strategic plan is being developed and communities across the region are giving their feedback.
CEO and dean of the medical school Dr. Michael Green says one of the things they are hearing is getting more students from smaller communities, like Fort Frances, Dryden and Kenora into NOSM.
“We’re doing more to get to get kids from, not just the major urban centers in the north, that’s something we’ve been exploring,” states Green during a town hall meeting in Kenora.
“We operate a couple of camps to encourage high school students to get interested in medicine, Camp Med, but they’re in Sudbury and Thunder Bay. So, we’ve been hearing from communities, ‘Can we bring it on the road?'”
Green adds that one of the concerns is making sure their doctors who work as preceptors or associate professors for NOSM in the region, don’t get burnt out.
“There is a doctor shortage across the north, so a lot of our faculty are feeling they are stretched and we’re trying to figure out how to grow the medical school, when they are busy and overworked. We also want to have learners to stay in their communities and to help build that workforce we need for the future.”
Green was in Atikokan and Fort Frances, before stopping in Kenora on Tuesday and says part of this trip will also include stops in Red Lake, Dryden and Sioux Lookout.
