Medical school's doctor program gets approval

A new accreditation given to the Northern Ontario School of Medicine may make the school more competitive across the continent, according to one associate dean.

The medical school's medical doctor program recently received full accreditation, which puts the 225-student school on par with North American standards.

"[Its] an acknowledgment that our education model is acceptable and produces good graduates," said Lisa Graves, the associate dean of undergraduate medical education at the medical school.

"I think that provides a lot of validation for students who may be considering NOSM."

She noted the accreditation helps move the schools reputation from being that of the newest medical school to one that is fully established.

NOSM's last full accreditation was in 2008, but since then the school has had time to graduate more students and become further developed," Graves said.

In an effort to help address northern Ontario's doctor shortage, NOSM selects student applicants who come from northern Ontario or other rural and remote communities. Having accreditation that meets North American standards is appealing to new recruits, but it also helps retain those who come from all over the world to teach those students.

"I think it does help address the shortage from where we bring a medical student in," Graves said.

"But I think it also speaks to providing an environment where PhD faculty and clinical faculty want to stay and that, in and of itself, draws other people to come in."