Program Contacts

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Important Information

If you are a resident in a current Canadian PG position using the second iteration of the CaRMS Match as a possible route to change program or specialty, In accordance with the Ontario eligibility criteria, which references the National Transfer Guidelines, you will need to upload all in-training assessments/evaluations and a summary of your training record in addition to the other required components of your CaRMS application.

Please also provide your permission for the program to speak with your current Program Director by adding "If I am shortlisted, I give permission for the program to speak with my current Program Director," at the bottom of your Personal Letter.  We will only contact your current PD if you are shortlisted.

 

 

 

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Return of Service

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General Instructions

Program application language: English

Applications will only be accepted through the CaRMS R-1 Match application process.

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Supporting Documentation / Information

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Review Process

Applications submitted after file review has opened on March 17, 2026

Supporting documents (excluding letters of reference) that arrive after file review has opened  on  March 17, 2026

Letters of reference that arrive after the unmasking date on March 17, 2026

Each application is reviewed and scored independently by at least two faculty members and a resident using standard assessment rubric. The rubric is based on CanMED roles and NOSM University values.

File review scores will be averaged for each applicant and the program will offer interviews to approximately the top 16 candidates based on their average file review score. We will continue to include community members in the independent scoring of file reviews.

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Interviews

Dates:

• March 28, 2026

Selection Criteria

Applicants will be selected for an interview based on:

Demonstrated interest in Psychiatry; academic record; strength of references; strong interpersonal and problem-solving skills; self-directed learning; and a desire to provide service in a variety of health care settings.

An interest in future Northern urban, rural or remote practice will be a key consideration.

 

Program goals

The NOSM University Psychiatry residency program offers a comprehensive clinical curriculum with core and subspecialty rotations designed to provide both depth and diversity of experience. The program emphasizes skills essential for community-based practices and prepares residents with the necessary competencies to become well-rounded, culturally respectful, general psychiatrists, with the foundation to pursue subspecialty training if desired. Training occurs in a wide variety of settings, such as emergency, inpatient, outpatient, and community settings, including northern urban, rural, and remote communities.

With one-on-one preceptor support, the program supports residents in achieving both program training objectives, as well as their own personal learning and career goals.

Selection process goals

Through our selection process, our program identifies candidates who have a strong academic history with demonstrated competence and interest in psychiatry (e.g. psychiatry rotations, electives, scholarly activities, conference involvement, and other related work or life experiences). We are seeking candidates who possess superior clinical communication skills and the ability to relate to patients, their families, and caregivers with compassion, empathy, sensitivity and humility.

We are looking for candidates who have the ability and willingness to work collaboratively (within and across professional domains) in a team to secure optimal patient outcomes, while exemplifying the highest standards of professional behavior -- inclusive of responsibility, respect, and self-awareness.

As a medical school with social accountability at its core, NOSM University is committed to addressing the needs of the diverse populations across Northern Ontario. The Psychiatry Program seeks candidates who demonstrate a strong interest in future practice in northern urban, rural, or remote settings.

Ideal applicants are those who are adaptable, self-directed, and prepared to thrive in a hands-on, distributed residency program. Candidates best suited to the NOSM U Psychiatry Program are those with an interest in future northern urban, rural, or remote practice, who can adapt and thrive in a hands-on, distributed northern residency program with flexibility and potential travel away from their primary location of residence. 

Candidates who are resilient, can prioritize their personal well-being, and are also committed to self-reflective learning, continuing professional development, and quality improvement, are well-suited to our program. Through our selection process we identify and successfully match candidates who possess these attributes.

File review process

Evaluation criteria :

Elective criteria

Interview process

Interview evaluation criteria :

Information gathered outside of CaRMS application

Specifically, we may consider:
Social interaction during program related events
Communication with program administration
Social media
Unsolicited reference letters
Unsolicited email references
Unsolicited verbal information on a candidate's prior performance
Unsolicited feedback from colleagues and co-workers
Other : In keeping with the CanMEDs roles, please note that throughout the entire application and interview process, your interactions with NOSM U personnel may be taken into consideration by the program in their selection process and ranking decisions.

Ranking process

The behavior(s) exhibited below during the interview process may prevent an applicant from being ranked by our program :
Unprofessional or inappropriate behavior   
Did not attend interview   
Interview performance was not competitive   

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Program Highlights

The following represent the highlights of our program:

• A comprehensive understanding of the cultural, geographic and socioeconomic determinants of mental and addiction disorders in a Northern urban, rural or remote clinical setting.
• A core value and focus on social accountability.
• An unique and challenging learning experience.
• Unparalleled preceptor support from physicians committed to practicing in Northern Ontario.
• Early integration as a key member of a health care team dedicated to professionalism, high quality and accessible patient care.
• Commitment to excellence in medical education and Resident learning.
• Self-directed, learner-centered training to meet your career goals.
• Exposure to the culture and social fabric of Francophone and Indigenous communities.
• Financial support from NOSM U for Resident travel to and from core clinical placements away from the primary site and all mandatory educational activities at non home site locations.
• Housing support from NOSM U for core rotations away from primary residence.
• Opportunity to participate in research under expert guidance.
• Funding available from NOSM U for research, professional development and conferences.
• Access to advanced technology and informatics in residency training.
• Exceptional lifestyle balance with a wide variety of outstanding Northern Ontario recreational opportunities.

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Program Curriculum

This residency program is for 5 years.

Program length of training does not exceed the Royal College or College of Family Physicians of Canada standard.

The program includes core rotations in Psychiatry and subspecialty rotations selected to incorporate a diversity of experience and proficiency in subspecialty areas integral to Northern Ontario based practices.

All rotations may be completed in distributed Northern sites, including Thunder Bay, North Bay, Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie. The structure and timing of clinical experiences—including the content, sequencing, and between site movement—may differ between residents, depending on their Personal Learning Plan (PLP) and educational goals.

Rotations are supervised (usually 1:1) by highly experienced and committed clinical faculty and the resident will have an opportunity to be involved in the care and management of patients in a wide variety of clinical areas.

Starting 1 July 2020, incoming cohorts of successfully matched applicants to NOSM U Psychiatry program will be entering into a Competence by Design (CBD) based residency program. 

Competency-Based Design (CBD) uses competency—rather than time—as the framework for progression through residency. However, it is not anticipated that the overall duration of training will change for the majority of residents. All psychiatry residency programs in Canada are broken down into stages (Transition to Discipline, Foundations, Core, and Transition to Practice). Each stage will have a series of milestones based on required competencies. These milestones will create targeted learning outcomes and involve more frequent, formative assessments within the clinical workplace to ensure residents are developing and receiving feedback on the skills they need. 

Key components of the CBD curriculum include; competency-based assessment, work-place based assessment with frequent, authentic feedback, and competency based promotion.

As we enter the fifth year of Competency-Based Design (CBD) implementation, NOSM U remains committed to the continuous improvement of our residency program. Resident feedback is integral to shaping the program and enhancing the learning experience. We actively seek and incorporate resident input and are proud to maintain a highly responsive and collaborative training environment. Residents have regular opportunities to provide feedback through scheduled meetings with Site Directors, as well as biannual meetings with the Program Director, ensuring formal channels for open dialogue and ongoing program development.

Residents in this program will have a number of opportunities unique to Northern Ontario. While the majority of the training takes place in your home base (Thunder Bay, North Bay, Sudbury or Sault Ste. Marie), there is opportunity to have clinical experiences in various centers across the North. From small rural hospitals to other major centers, our program provides a unique chance to understand how Psychiatry is provided outside the major teaching center, with exposure to potential career opportunities. 

The small size of the program allows for close mentorship between the faculty and residents. This has been identified as a strength of our program and enables a rapid progression to independent activities for individual residents. 

At present, our current clinical curriculum is structured as listed below. NOSM U rotation schedule works in blocks. There are 13 blocks in an academic year, with 4 weeks in each block.

 Transition to Discipline (first 3 blocks PGY1)

• combination of Psychiatry Inpatient/Outpatient

 Foundations I (last 10 blocks of PGY1)

• 1 Block of Addictions
• 1 Block of Emergency Medicine
• 1 Block of Internal Medicine
• 1 Block of Neurology
• 1 Block of Family Medicine
• 1 Block of Emergency Psychiatry
• 4 Blocks of Selectives/Elective

 Foundations II (aka PGY2)

• 1 Block of Personalized Learning in Psychiatry
• 6 Blocks of Inpatient Psychiatry
• 6 Blocks of Outpatient Psychiatry

 Core of Discipline (aka PGY3-4)

• Longitudinal Psychotherapy training will occur on a weekly basis during the entirety of Core.
• 6 Blocks of Geriatric Psychiatry (scheduled during first 12 blocks of Core)
• 6 Blocks of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (scheduled during first 12 blocks of Core)
• 6 blocks of SPMI training (3 blocks inpatient and 3 blocks community/outpatient)
• 2-3 blocks of Addictions medicine/psychiatry (this may be scheduled as psychiatry for 1-1.5 days a week with the remaining days of the week spent in an FM/RAAM clinic)
• 3-4 blocks of Consultation Liaison Psychiatry
• 2 blocks of Collaborative/shared care

There is opportunity to arrange for longitudinal experiences in addictions medicine, consultation liaison, and collaborative/shared care based on educational needs and availability of clinical services. The resident will need to work with their site director and academic advisor to arrange and ensure EPAs/objectives can be met with their alternative plan.

 Transition to Practice (aka PGY5)

• Personalized learning year in Psychiatry. Suggested clinical experiences include:
  Addictions Psychiatry
  • Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
  • Consultation Liaison
  • Development Disabilities
  • Forensic
  • Geriatric Psychiatry
  • Inpatient Psychiatry
  • Outpatient Psychiatry
  • Psychotherapies
  • Research
  • Rural and Remote Psychiatry
  • SPMI

The above noted list is not exhaustive, you will work with a faculty lead to determine the best course of training for your needs. 

 

Psychotherapy Training

Residents will be provided with training in CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy), Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, Interpersonal Therapy, Supportive Psychotherapy, Crisis Intervention, Family Therapy, Dialectic Behaviour Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and Group Therapy. You will meet regularly with the Psychotherapy Coordinator (faculty member) who will guide you through the psychotherapy milestones.

Academics

Academic half-days take place weekly throughout the year, with protected time from clinical duties. In PGY1, these sessions are held as half-days, while in PGY2–PGY4, they are expanded to full academic days. PGY5 academic programming is tailored to support residents in their transition to independent practice.

In addition to core academic sessions, residents will also have the opportunity to participate in program-wide and local educational opportunities, including rounds, poster presentations, journal clubs, and other scholarly activities.

Research

Residents are expected to complete a research project during their residency. There is opportunity to present yearly at the annual Resident Research Day. Residents are supported in their scholarly work through multiple avenues, including a dedicated Research Coordinator (faculty member), clearly defined research milestones, and a longitudinal research curriculum integrated into academic teaching days.

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Training Sites

Applicants who match to the North Bay site will be required to select this community as their home-base/location of primary residence.

The NOSM U Psychiatry program is one Psychiatry Program, currently offered at four main sites: North Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, and Thunder Bay.

Our Program is a distributed model, and all Residents may spend up to 18 months at Program sites (which is not their primary site) to complete core or elective rotations. 

North Bay

Sudbury

Sault Ste. Marie

Thunder Bay

 

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Additional Information

To learn more about northern Ontario, please visit the "Wider Campus of NOSM University" webpage