NOSM University - Family Medicine - Timmins
2024 R-1 Main Residency Match - first iteration
CMG Stream including MOTP/MMTP for CMG
Last approved on November 01, 2023
Summary of changesAccreditation status : Accredited
Provincial Criteria
Postgraduate Education -Family Medicine
935 Ramsey Lake Road
Sudbury, Ontario, P3E 2C6
Program Contacts
Important Information
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Please visit our website for more information on the program.
NOSM U-Family Medicine (http://www.nosm.ca/familymedicine)
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Additional Requirement: Situational Judgement Test (FMProC) is a required test for all applicants to NOSM University Family Medicine Program (all streams).
(Please refer to the Supporting Documentation Section)
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You will find:
- Interactive and multimedia information on our Program
- Curated information to help you in your program selection, given the virtual nature of the CaRMS selection process and absence of an in-person visit to our program
- Schedule of our promotion and information sessions
- Information on how to get your questions answered
Given the COVID-19 Pandemic, all promotion, recruitment and selection activities will be conducted virtually, using a variety of web-based tools to help you get to know us, and us you!
COVID-19 vaccination policy
Please be aware the Ministry of Health has mandated all hospital and health care employers establish, implement and ensure compliance with a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy. The Ministry directive can be reviewed here. Residents matched to any Ontario residency program must ensure they are able to comply with the Ministry directive in order to start training July 1, 2023.
General Instructions
Program application language: English
NOSM University offers Family Medicine training in seven streams:
- Larger urban streams (pop. greater than 100,000)
- Sudbury
- Thunder Bay
- Smaller urban streams (pop. 50,000-80,000)
- North Bay
- Sault Ste. Marie
- Timmins
- Rural/Remote/Distributed streams (pop. <20,000, often much smaller)
- Remote First Nation (RFN)
- Rural West - Dryden, Fort Frances, Kenora, Nipigon, Sioux Lookout
- Rural South - Bracebridge, Gravenhurst, Huntsville, Parry Sound
- Rural East - Blind River, Elliott Lake, Espanola, Hearst, Kapuskasing, Manitoulin Island, Sturgeon Falls, Temiskaming Shores
Please note: If applying to more than one NOSM U Family Medicine urban stream, the same supporting documents may be used for each application. Rural streams and the Remote First Nation stream require additional documentation.
Rural streams (East, South, West): an additional document (the NOSM U FM Rural Addendum/Questionnaire) with specific questions pertaining to suitability for rural training is required.
Remote First Nation stream: a customized personal letter and additional reference are required.
Applications to additional streams (except RFN) must be completed by 11:59 p.m. E.T. on Sunday, February 4, 2024.
Supporting Documentation / Information
• Canadian Birth Certificate or Act of Birth
• Confirmation of Permanent Residence in Canada
• Passport page showing Canadian Citizenship
• Canadian Permanent Resident Card (both sides of card)
IMPORTANT NOTICE: As per the Ontario Provincial Eligibility Criteria, if you are submitting a Canadian Birth Certificate or Act of Birth, or Confirmation of Permanent Residence in Canada document, you MUST submit a government issued photo I.D. to accompany your citizenship documentation.
Your FMProC assessment result is sent directly to CaRMS. The FMProC assessment is only valid for one admissions cycle. If you have taken the assessment in previous years, you are expected to re-take it.
To register for the FMProC assessment visit www.fmproc.com.
The Letters of Reference must be written by clinical teachers and/or clinical faculty who have reasonable knowledge of you, either through close association in clinical training situations or as your faculty advisor. References should provide an assessment of your medical knowledge, clinical skills, interpersonal skills, ability to communicate effectively, your attitudes toward learning, and commitment to Family Medicine.
Your medical school transcript can be submitted through one of the methods below:
- Obtain your medical transcript from your school and upload it directly to your CaRMS Online account. Follow your school’s policy regarding accessing or requesting your transcript;
- Ask your medical school to upload your medical transcript through their CaRMS Undergraduate Portal account; or
- International (IMGs) and United States (USMGs) medical graduates can transfer their transcript from their physiciansapply.ca account.
For current year Canadian medical graduates (CMGs), there is no action required from you. Your medical school will automatically submit your MSPR to CaRMS on your behalf for you to assign.
If your MSPR is in a language other than the program language of English or French, you are required to have the document translated.
The personal letter (maximum 250 words) should focus on the following:
- Tell us five (5) things you want the program to know about you
We encourage you to outline your letter with bullets/numbers.
If your transcript/MSPR indicates academic difficulty, failure(s), repeat of a year or any gaps in your education or work history, please attach a supplementary statement to the END of your Personal Letter entitled "Transcript/CV Addendum" explaining the above.
Recently, the NOSM U FM program announced that the content of the Personal Letter for this cycle would be different from years past. The change was felt to be an opportunity for candidates to better highlight their experiences and attributes that make them suitable for residency in Family Medicine at NOSM U, while also simplifying their task. We understand that the change occurred after the cycle opened, and that some candidates may have already completed a Personal Letter using the previous requirements or are already in the process of completing their Personal Letter using the previous requirements. Rest assured that for this cycle, we will accept both versions of the Personal Letters and that candidates will not be penalized nor rewarded for using one over the other.
Thank you for your continued interest in NOSM U Family Medicine. We look forward to carefully reviewing your application.
Optional: you may submit abstracts of recent publications.
Review Process
Applications submitted after file review has opened on December 2, 2023
Supporting documents (excluding letters of reference) that arrive after file review has opened on December 2, 2023
Letters of reference that arrive after the unmasking date on December 2, 2023
Interviews
Dates:
- January 18, 2024
- January 19, 2024
- January 20, 2024
- January 21, 2024
A SINGLE two-part interview will be conducted for the following streams: Sudbury, Thunder Bay, North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Timmins and Rural.
The Remote First Nation stream will hold additional and separate interviews.
Your interview score will be used for all the above mentioned streams. You may also choose to add additional FM Streams (except RFN) to your application by 11:59pm (E.S.T.) on Sunday, February 26th, 2023. Please ensure you include all the requested documents. (If you are adding the Rural stream, you will need to include the Rural Addendum Questionnaire.)
In-person visits with program staff, faculty or residents will not be considered. This practice is in alignment with the National Best Practices in Admissions and Selection. Please do not contact program staff or faculty for this purpose. We invite you to take part in our promotional and information sessions throughout the CaRMS period (See: http://www.nosm.ca/familymedicine)
Interview Dates:
Various dates between February 6th, 2023 to February 26th, 2023.
Format: Part 1 of the interview will be asynchronous. Part 2 of the interview will be a virtual meeting with a Family Medicine Site Director and a resident representative with topics for discussion for the interviewers and you to share information.
Duration: Part 1: 30 minutes. Part 2: 15 minutes.
The interview team will have only seen your Personal Letter and Photo (your asynchronous interview and other elements of your file will not be provided to them).
Time permitting, you will have the opportunity to ask questions, but please keep in mind that your interview team may not have the answers. We invite you to save your questions for our information sessions and our Q&As. Please visit our website for more information on those events.
French, Ojibway, Cree, Oji-Cree (or other Indigenous language) interviews may be requested by candidates, and every effort will be made by the program to accommodate these requests.
Selection Criteria
In keeping with the CanMEDs roles, please note that throughout the entire application and selection process, your interactions with NOSM U personnel may be taken into consideration by the program in their selection process and ranking decisions.
The NOSM University Family Medicine Residency Program will review candidate’s applications based on:
- demonstrated interest in Family Medicine
- ability to fulfill all CanMEDS-FM roles
- demonstrated interest in clinical practice in northern Ontario and/or rural medicine
- strong academic record
- strength of references
- excellent interpersonal and collaboration skills
- evidence of self-directed learning and reflective practice
- desire to train in variety of clinical practices and community settings
- connection to northern Ontario educationally, professionally, or personally
Program goals
NOSM University (NOSM U) is committed to the education of high quality physicians and health professionals, and to international recognition as a leader in distributed, learning-centred, community-engaged education and research.
The NOSM U Family Medicine Program's vision is to educate doctors based on the CanMEDS-FM roles to develop the skills and attitudes necessary to deliver excellent, culturally respectful health care to the communities of northern Ontario, including rural and remote areas.
Selection process goals
Through our selection process, our program aims to identify candidates who have a strong academic history with demonstrated competence and interest in family medicine (e.g. FM rotations, electives, scholarly activities, conference involvement and/or other related work or life experiences). We are seeking candidates who possess superior clinical and communication skills, and have the ability to relate to patients, their families, and caregivers with compassion, empathy, sensitivity and humility.
We are looking for candidates who possess the ability and willingness to work collaboratively (within and across professional domains) in a team dynamic to secure optimal patient outcomes, while exemplifying the highest standards of professional behavior -- inclusive of responsibility, respect, and self-awareness.
We are also looking to identify candidates who would be a good fit for our program. As a socially accountable medical school, accountable to the needs and the diversity of the populations of Northern Ontario, candidates best suited to the NOSM U Family Medicine Program are those with a vested interest in rural medicine, who can adapt and thrive in a hands-on, distributed rural residency program that requires flexibility and some travel away from their primary location of residence. At times, you will train in environments with very few learners, which affords excellent first-in-line, hands-on experience.
We also believe that candidates who are resilient, can prioritize their personal well-being and work-life balance, and are also committed to self-reflective learning, continuing professional development, and quality improvement, are well-suited to our residency program. Through our selection process we aim to identify and successfully match candidates who possess these attributes as well.
File review process
Review team composition : Each application is reviewed and scored independently by two program faculty members. Members of our file review team are the Program Director, Site Directors, Assistant Site Directors and/or Family Medicine Faculty Members.
Average number of applications received by our program in the last five years : 201 - 400
We average approximately a combined total of 250 applications across all of our program streams.
Average percentage of applicants offered interviews : 76 - 100 %
We typically interview approximately 175-200 candidates.
| File component | Criteria |
|---|---|
| CV | Academic & work background/experiences, personal/professional accomplishments, communication skills |
| Electives | Diverse range relevant to the discipline, rural and/or northern an asset |
| Examinations | Not Applicable |
| Extra-curricular | An asset to demonstrate work-life balance and wellness, personal interests. Include in CV. |
| Leadership skills | Any leadership roles held throughout training should be outlined in the CV |
| MSPRs | Patient interactions, FM rotation competencies, any academic, personal or professionalism concerns |
| Personal letters | Practice goals, interest/knowledge in FM and our program, personal and northern/rural suitability |
| Reference documents | Commitment to FM, performance, knowledge/clinical skills, character, attitude towards learning, professionalism, engagement in learning. |
| Research/Publications | Past achievements/successes and interest in participating in future scholarly activity |
| Transcripts | Strength of academic record, any red flags/concerns |
| Other file component(s) |
Transcript/CV Addendum: If any part of your application indicates academic difficulty, failure(s), repeat of a year or any gaps in your education or work history, a supplementary statement at the END of your Personal Letter is required. Please title your statement as "Transcript/CV Addendum", explaining the above. |
Elective criteria
We recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted candidates’ opportunities to arrange and complete electives and would like to reassure you that a lack of elective activity this year will not negatively impact your application to our program.
Interview process
Interview format :
We routinely accommodate requests to re-schedule interviews for applicants.
| Interview components | Criteria |
|---|---|
| Collaboration skills | Demonstrated ability to work well in a team setting/multidisciplinary environment |
| Collegiality | Personable, respectful towards others, values the importance of a supportive/collegial atmosphere |
| Communication skills | Able to reflect and communicate responses clearly and concisely, can communicate well with others |
| Health advocacy | Advocacy for patients, including geographically isolated or marginalized populations |
| Interest in the discipline | Genuine passion for Family Medicine and future practice goals |
| Interest in the program | Knowledgeable about our program, training sites, northern Ontario patient populations and challenges |
| Leadership skills | Qualities such as: proactive/takes initiative, accountable, innovative, motivated and goal-oriented |
| Professionalism | Conducts themselves in a professional manner, self-aware, unbiased, morally/ethically responsible |
| Scholarly activities | We do not formally evaluate this component during the interview |
| Other interview component(s) | Problem-Solving Skills: Conflict resolution, ability to assess, plan, and take appropriate action. |
Information gathered outside of CaRMS application
Specifically, we may consider:Ranking process
The behavior(s) exhibited below during the interview process may prevent an applicant from being ranked by our program :Program Highlights
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Our program spans the geography of northern Ontario and experiences exist across all our regions. At times, residents will travel for some rotations, away from their home site, to experience the breadth of the discipline. Support is available for housing and travel costs.
- Practice opportunities are extensive, and diverse allowing residents to immerse themselves in the unique lifestyle of northern Ontario
- Residents have flexibility and are encouraged to undertake clinical experiences in a wide variety of communities across the entire NOSM University geographic area
- Opportunities exist to undertake either Family medicine or other learning experiences in the French language and experience the Francophone culture of northern Ontario
- Community rotations are available which will allow residents to immerse and familiarize themselves in the rural culture, and experience the challenges and rewards of delivery of care in rural and remote communities
- Many diverse opportunities exist to encounter, immerse and deliver care to Indigenous Peoples including travel to northern First Nations.
- Rotations in over 40 Northern urban, rural and remote clinical settings
- Opportunity for a wide variety of PGY3 enhanced skills options in northern Ontario
- A unique opportunity for blended hospital-based and community-based training with first call coverage in most disciplines
- Early integration as a key member of an interdisciplinary health care team dedicated to professionalism, high quality patient care and excellent medical education
- A diverse variety of in-patient and outpatient experiences emphasized from the beginning of residency
- Unparalleled preceptor support from physician faculty and preceptors whose primary focus is patient care and teaching
- Commitment to resident learning
- Financial support for resident travel to and from core clinical placements away from the home base and all mandatory educational activities at non home base locations
- Housing support for core rotations away from home base and primary residence for up to 6 months per academic year
- Opportunities to participate in a scholarly activity, including research and quality improvement, under expert guidance
- Funding available for research, professional development and conference participation
- Access to advanced technology and informatics that allows 24/7 access to electronic search engines, and electronic indexes, as well as an extensive collection of electronic medical/health journals and textbooks
- Exceptional lifestyle balance with a wide variety of outstanding northern Ontario recreational opportunities
Program Curriculum
This residency program is for 2 years.
Program length of training does not exceed the Royal College or College of Family Physicians of Canada standard.
Program Overview
The NOSM University (NOSM U) Family Medicine program is an accredited program of the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC). We follow the Triple C competency-based curriculum in all of our training streams. Utilizing the CanMEDS-FM competencies, along with the CFPC's Priority Topics and Skills Dimensions, our curriculum is built with community Family Medicine in mind. All of our rotations are largely community based, with several opportunities within our hospitals. The vast majority of teaching is provided by family physicians. Comprehensiveness of practice, along with continuity of care and education are central to our work. Depending on the stream, the approach to the scheduling of clinical experiences will vary. All Family Medicine residents will receive ongoing coaching and feedback, both informally and formally through our workplace-based assessment methods. Regularly scheduled periodic reviews provide an opportunity for self-reflection and coaching from a Competency Coach. Candidates who are self-directed and engage in reflective practice are particularly suited to our residency program.
Clinical Curriculum
The NOSM U Family Medicine Clinical Curriculum incorporates a diversity of experience and proficiency in areas integral to community-based Family practice. Each resident will spend significant time in the community practice of Family Medicine preceptors. Residents participate in all aspects of the practice, including provision of continuous care to their own patients within the practice and participation in the care of all in-hospital patients within the practice whenever possible. Participation in the care of the practice’s patients in multiple environments including the hospital, patients' homes and other scenarios is encouraged.
| Domains of Care | Curriculum Objectives |
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Across the Life Cycle
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| Care of Underserved Patients |
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| Procedural Skills |
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Throughout the program, elective rotations provide additional flexibility and enable residents to tailor their training to achieve competence in the domains of care and their individual learning objectives not met by immersions in the regular core rotations. Diversity of experience during elective rotations is encouraged and recognized as being extremely valuable.
Sample Clinical Rotation Schedule
Below is the typical NOSM Family Medicine Program Clinical Curriculum, represented in weeks. Due to the needs of the communities, some of the program streams will demonstrate slight differences in curriculum.
Note: Family physicians (preceptors) who do not do hospital rounds – residents are required to do three (3) additional weeks of Internal Medicine.
- North Bay = NBAY
- Rural East = RUR-East
- Rural West = RUR-West
- Rural South = RUR-South
- Sault Ste. Marie = SSM
- Sudbury = SUD
- Thunder Bay = TBAY
- Timmins = TIMM
- Remote First Nations = RFN
| PGY1 | NBAY | RUR-EAST | RUR-WEST | RUR-SOUTH | SSM | SUD | TBAY | TIMM | RFN |
| Family Medicine | 16 | - | - | - | 16 | 16 | 12 | 15 | - |
| Family Medicine - Inpatient | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | - | - |
| Family Medicine Rural | 8 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 16 |
| Internal Medicine | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| Emergency Medicine | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Obstetrics/Women's Health | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Mental Health | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| Pediatrics | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Addictions Medicine | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - |
| Electives | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
PGY2 |
NBAY |
RUR-EAST |
RUR-WEST |
RUR-SOUTH |
SSM |
SUD |
TBAY |
TIMM |
RFN |
| Family Medicine | 16 | - | 16 | 16 | 12 or 16 | 15 | 24 | ||
| Family Medicine - Inpatient | - | - | - | - | 4 or 8 | - | - | ||
| Family Medicine Rural | 8 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 4 | - |
| Internal Medicine | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | - |
| Emergency Medicine | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Addictions/Pain Management | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 |
| Psychiatry | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | 8 |
| Obstetrics/Women’s Health | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Surgical Selective | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | - | - |
| Urology | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - |
| General Surgery | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - |
| Otorhinolaryngology | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - |
| Pediatrics | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Geriatrics | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - |
| Electives | 8 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 12 | 8 |
Academic Program
The Family Medicine academic program consists of academic sessions, courses, and a transition to residency block. Residents regularly have protected time for virtual teaching, separate from clinical duties. Additionally, there are in person sessions at the end of blocks periodically through the year. These sessions will cover the vast majority of CFPC's Priority Topics, along with some hands-on skills including simulations, procedural skills and other small group learning. In the first year of residency, all residents will participate in the Core Curriculum offered to all NOSM U residents, across all specialties, which will cover key topics such as the Resident as Teacher, Indigenous health, medical errors and patient safety, etc. In addition, specific sessions in second year will be tailored to preparation for CFPC examination.
The NOSM U Family Medicine Residency program also provides financial support for residents to obtain certification in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP). Residents are also provided with some financial support through the Resident Reimbursement Fund (RRF) to attend other courses or conferences such as Family Medicine Forum (FMF) and Society of Rural Physicians Rural and Remote Medicine Conference (SRPC).
Other learning sessions, virtual or in-person, are scattered throughout the year to address learning needs.
We value the importance of wellness and encourage protected time for residents to gather and dialogue with each other on a regular basis.
Resident Wellness
The mission of the Wellness Program is to assist our residents in achieving the knowledge and skills to develop healthy and productive professional identities during this important transitional time. The framework of the program includes occupational/academic health, physical health, emotional health and social health.
Our highest priority is providing and coordinating supports for residents who have specific health needs, whether pre-existing or arising during residency. Wellness Program personnel will assist residents with finding and coordinating health resources, as well as working with residency programs to accommodate the learning and training environment if needed. The program also includes proactive components for all residents such as: a wellness curriculum, promoting safe housing and transportation, ensuring your duty hour and leave protections are respected, cultural supports, and guidance with developing a healthy and productive professional identity.
Scholarly Activity
While the role of scholar will evolve throughout the two-year program, a number of activities are planned in the program:
- Scholarly activity, including research and quality improvement (QI), supported by a Tutor
- Ongoing didactic and small group sessions focused on Evidence-Based Medicine, Research and Quality Improvement
- The opportunity to participate in Resident Research Day, where everyone will share their scholarly activity with peers.
These activities contribute to the development of effective teaching practices, formulating and investigating scholarly questions, and disseminating and communicating knowledge to professional audiences. Residents also contribute to the quality improvement of the Family medicine program by providing feedback on the clinical experiences and academic curriculum; this data is collected and utilized by the program to augment the overall program curriculum.
Training Sites
Timmins
Timmins in centrally located in Northeastern Ontario, which has allowed the City to become a District Center. The City encompasses a territorial market of approximately 117,000 people including the Cochrane District, Chapleau, Kirkland Lake and the area up to the James Bay coastal areas. The patient population includes Francophone, Anglophone, and Indigenous populations along with various ethnic representations from European descent, as a result of Timmins mining history.
Resources include the Timmins and District Hospital. This 159-bed facility offers a full range of Medical, Pediatrics, Surgical (General Surgery, ENT, Urology, Ophthalmology, OB/Gyn, Orthopedics), Critical Care, Long Term Care, Hospice, Psychiatry and Mental Health services. Visiting specialties include Dermatology, Neurology, Rheumatology, EMG and Cardiology/Pacemaker clinic. Other medical resources in the community include: rehab and allied health care professionals at the Porcupine Health Unit, the Northeast Community Care Access Centre (CCAC), Misiway CHC, Centre de Sante CHC, Cochrane Temiskaming Children’s Treatment Centre, March of Dimes and more.
The Timmins site offers a blend of longitudinal and mini-block based experiences. In keeping with the Triple C curriculum and the spirit of Family Medicine, the Domains of Care and the objectives that are well attained in the primary care setting are set out to be experienced with family physicians. The residents will be paired with two physicians for each yeah of the program. This allows for a broader coverage of various areas of interest, namely emergency medicine, women’s health, minor surgery, inpatient care, addictions medicine etc. Where possible, we aim to provide the majority of the learning with the main pair of preceptors. Certain skills that are better experienced with specialists remain part of the curriculum in either mini rotations or traditional blocks (pediatrics, surgery, etc.).
Training in Family Medicine in Timmins offers a hands-on, rich experience that will suit your career direction, whether you want to practice in a rural or urban setting. All of our family medicine clinical faculty work in various settings and as a result, the learning experiences are endless. These include emergency medicine, anesthesia and airway training, minor surgery, hospitalist and in-patient care, acute stroke care team, women’s health, hospice/palliative care, primary care obstetrics, surgical assisting, addiction medicine and more! We look forward to teaching you in your journey to becoming a full scope, competent Family Physician!
Additional Information
To learn more about northern Ontario, please visit the "Wider Campus of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine" webpage.
To learn more about our Program - visit us at http://www.nosm.ca/familymedicine
Summary of changes
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