Medical school opens up to public

Elyssia Adamo has always been interested in a career in medicine.

"Throughout high school and even before that I've always had a very keen interest for the math and science fields," said Adamo, now a first-year student at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine's Thunder Bay campus.

Born and raised in the same city, Adamo hopes to build a career in the North and to help the medical school continue to make health care more accessible in the North by adding to the number of physicians practising in the region.

Adamo was one of several students, as well as staff, in attendance at NOSM's open house on Thursday.

The event was to feature the work the medical school has done since opening 10 years ago and also to attract potential students.

"I was attracted to NOSM because there are various characteristics that I think make it a very good and attractive medical school to want to go to," said Adamo, noting one of those reasons is the smaller class sizes.

"It allows a lot of small group learning, lets you build off of other students, have discussions on topics," she said. "I find it expands your scope of learning."

The open house featured information kiosks and interactive activities and NOSM's director of communications Kim Daynard said they also specifically invited high school and elementary students.

"We recognize there may be youth that haven't considered health as a career option and we want to make sure people have the information they need to make informed decisions," she said. "What we'd like to really do is spark an interest in health care and related professions in the youth of Northern Ontario."

The medical school has graduated 415 MDs since opening in 2015 and Daynard said 94 per cent of NOSM graduates who complete their residency in Northern Ontario are practicing in the North.

Daynard added that the open house is important to show the community they are living up to their social accountability mandate to continue improving the health of people in Northern Ontario.

"It's important that we report back to the community," she said, adding it's also about giving the community a chance to see what the school is doing and if they're accomplishing their goals.