Five NOSM U students to begin family medicine residencies in the Sault

Let’s hope they stay.

Five Northern Ontario School of Medicine University (NOSM U) family medicine residents — along with one public health and preventive medicine resident — will begin their residency programs on July 1 in Sault Ste. Marie.

A residency is training that new doctors must complete after earning their medical school degrees before being allowed to practice medicine. Family medicine residencies last for two years in Canada.

Recruiters have said that many med school graduates are more likely to hang up their shingle in or near the communities in which they have been trained.

That could be good news for the Sault, in dire need of primary care providers for thousands of patients.

“We’ve got six, which is fantastic. We’re in a good place,” said Dr. Mohammad Rassouli-Rashti at Monday’s Sault Area Hospital board of directors meeting. 

“The family medicine residents are well known to our program, having completed medical education placements here previously,” stated Dr. John Heintzman, SAH chief of staff, in a written report to the board.

The residents will complete academic learning and clinical rotations at various health facilities in the community, including Sault Area Hospital, Group Health Centre, Superior Family Health Team and Algoma Public Health.

In addition, the Sault’s Physician Recruitment and Retention Program will be hosting the annual Summer Studentship Program from June 10 to 30 in partnership with NOSM University and SAH. 

This year, nine first and second-year medical students originally from Algoma District will be participating in the Summer Studentship Program.

“This program provides an excellent opportunity for our hospital and community to showcase the diverse range of medical opportunities available," said SAH spokesperson Brandy Sharp Young, in an email to SooToday. "By immersing medical students in our clinical areas and providing them with an opportunity to work alongside highly skilled physicians and allied health preceptors, SAH aims to become their preferred location for launching and developing their careers."

The need for family doctors in the Sault is severe after it was announced in January that more than 10,000 Group Health Centre patients will lose access to their primary care provider and the same-day clinic services at GHC as of May 31, 2024.

That followed news in July 2023 that close to 3,000 patients had already been de-rostered by GHC over six years. 

An additional 6,000 patients could be de-rostered if trends continue, GHC said.

It is estimated that approximately 30,000 people in the area are without a primary care provider. 

Fewer medical students are choosing family medicine and younger family doctors are leaving primary care due to an overwhelming amount of paperwork involved in the profession.

In other SAH news from Monday's board meeting:

• A general cardiologist will transition to full-time practice at SAH on May 1, 2024. The cardiologist will provide outpatient follow-up care and ongoing diagnostic testing. With the addition of the new cardiologist, the Sault will have three such specialists available. SAH continues its partnership with Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital that supplies SAH with one cardiologist for one week each month.
• Locum coverage has been successfully found by SAH for pacemaker care. A locum will be present on-site one to two days every three weeks. SAH is continuing its efforts to recruit a permanent doctor for that role.