Two resident doctors from the Northern Ontario School of Medicine’s rural family medicine program have been calling Kapuskasing home since July 1st. N-O-S-M faculty member Dr. Chris Meilleur (May-eur) says this program is not only important for the school of medicine but for Northeastern Ontario.
“What we have realized over the years is that when you are training residents in a rural community like Kapuskasing, you increase the likelihood that they will end up practicing in those communities,” he said. “At the same time you give them the necessary skills to be able to practice so they can feel confident and comfortable in that rural environment.”
Meilleur (May-eur) says that program has helped with decreasing a shortage of medical professionals in this region.
“Kapuskasing has been under serviced for a number of years for a medical point of view for a number of years, but that has improved drastically over the past several years,” he said. “One of the reasons is the training of residents locally. We have two doctors that trained here locally that have set up practices now they are Dr. Nick Sylvestre and Dr. Crystal Boulianne.”
“This group of resident doctors are some of the best and brightest, and we are honoured to have them join the Northern Ontario School of Medicine,” says Dr. Robert Anderson, NOSM’s Associate Dean, Postgraduate Medical Education. “Residency is one of the most critical times in the development of a physician’s professional identity, and we are excited to help them not only become great doctors but to standout in their field and become change leaders who will create real, lasting impact in communities across Northern Ontario.”
N-O-S-M has 64 new resident doctors in total that are living and learning in 11 other communities across Northern Ontario. Residency programs at the school of medicine are offered in family medicine and seven other specialties including: anesthesiology, general surgery, internal medicine, orthopedic surgery, pediatrics, psychiatry, public health and preventive medicine. Upon completion of their residency programs, these physicians will transition to independent practice.
