Roger Strasser
Founding Dean, Northern Ontario School of Medicine
Orientation Week—or “O-Week” as we affectionately call it—for incoming M.D. students at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) provides a unique beginning to a distinctive program. We have just welcomed our seventh class of incoming undergraduate medical students. These learners recently participated in the specially-designed orientation, where they experienced meeting their fellow classmates for the first time, were introduced to NOSM, and began to familiarize themselves with many of the school’s staff and faculty who will contribute to their success over the next four years of their M.D. education.
During O-Week, students become aware of their obligations and the expectations of professionalism that come with their new roles as medical learners. It is during this time that the learners begin to grasp the full significance of the journey that will follow, and the role that, as physicians, they can and will have in the health care of others. Former NOSM associate dean of learner affairs, Dr. Gerry Cooper, commented that, “even upon graduation, our medical learners have looked back and reminisced about their Orientation Week, and what an important marker it was in their time at NOSM.”
The weeklong event began on Monday, August 22, when learners participated in a “meet and greet” at their respective campuses at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay and Laurentian University in Sudbury. On the first evening, the new medical students enjoyed receptions hosted by the school’s Aboriginal Affairs Unit, where they learned more about the school’s social accountability mandate to contribute to improving the health of the people and communities of Northern Ontario. Students heard about their upcoming placements in rural and remote Aboriginal communities, as well as how elders and the school’s Aboriginal Affairs Unit are available to support all learners throughout their time at NOSM.
On the Tuesday (August 23), all of the students of the incoming M.D. class travelled to North Bay, where the East Campus and West Campus students met each other in person. The entire group visited the new North Bay Regional Health Centre, and enjoyed meeting with community partners. A dinner was hosted by the school’s Francophone Affairs Unit, which continued the exploration of social accountability and the importance of medical education that addresses the needs of the North’s diverse cultural groups.
Beginning with the charter class in 2005, the oath ceremony remains an integral portion of O-Week. This ceremony introduces learners to the Hippocratic Oath, its meaning and importance, and inspires the learners to successfully complete their four years of medical education with the ethical principles of the oath in mind. The learners recite the Hippocratic Oath upon successful completion of their M.D. education at a hooding ceremony during convocation.
There are many people who help make O-Week possible for incoming medical students. Community members, organizations, municipal leaders, returning students, faculty members and staff all contribute to the weeklong event, with the school’s Learner Affairs Unit and Community Engagement portfolio taking leadership roles.
This year’s incoming M.D. class, like all previous M.D. classes admitted to NOSM, reflects the school’s commitment to recruiting students who have a strong aptitude for practising medicine in Northern urban, rural and remote communities. More than 90 per cent of the students in this class come from Northern Ontario. Eight per cent of the learners have self-identified as Aboriginal people and 20 per cent have self-identified as Francophone. In addition, this year’s incoming class has seven students who have completed their Masters degree and one who has completed a Ph.D.
Orientation Week provides a jam-packed introduction into the demanding life of a medical learner and the unique characteristics of a medical school guided by the vision of Innovative Education and Research for a Healthier North. On behalf of everyone at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, I welcome our new and returning medical students to an exciting new academic year of scholarship, camaraderie, and success.
