Program Contacts

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Important Information

Territorial Acknowledgement 

 In the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation, NOSM University respectfully acknowledges that our pan-Northern campus is on the homelands of First Nations and Métis Peoples. The university buildings we occupy in Greater Sudbury and Thunder Bay are located on the territory of the Anishinabek Nation, specifically Atikameksheng and Wahnapitae First Nations and Fort William First Nation. 

Beyond a land acknowledgement, we understand that reconciliation is a practice. We gratefully acknowledge the Elders and Knowledge Keepers who share their gifts and teachings with us so that we may better understand and honour their wisdom, and that of all of the traditional keepers of this land. NOSM University will continue to practice reconciliation by listening, learning, and fostering a culture of mutual respect and trust. 

Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) represents 49 First Nation communities from Treaty 9 and 5 over an area of 210,000 square miles, with a total population of about 45,000 Ojibway, Cree and Ojicree. Nishnawbe Aski Nation has a main office in Thunder Bay and a branch office in Timmins. 

The Anishinabek Nation represents 42 First Nation communities from Robinson Huron, Robinson Superior, Manitoulin Island Treaty and other areas in Southern Ontario over an area of 52,400 square miles, with a total population of about 42,000 Odawa, Ojibway, Pottawatomi, Delaware, Chippewa, Algonquin and Mississauga. The Anishinabek Nation has a main office in Nipissing First Nation, and branch offices in Fort William First Nation, Curve Lake First Nation and Munsee-Delaware Nation. 

Grand Council Treaty #3 represents 26 First Nation communities in Ontario and two in Manitoba over an area of 55,000 square miles, with a total population of about 25,000 Anishinaabe (Ojibway). Grand Council Treaty #3 has a main office in Kenora. 

The Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO), initially formed in 1994, represents about 49,000 members situated in nine regions and 32 communities across Ontario at the provincial and national levels within Canada and at the international level. The Métis are recognized in Canada’s Constitution Act, 1982, as an Indigenous people. The MNO has a main office in Ottawa and regional offices in Amhestburg, Brampton, Fort Frances, Penetanguishene, Thunder Bay, Timmins, Searchmont, and Sudbury. 

Northern Ontario consists of six treaty areas: 

• Robinson-Huron, 1850, north of Lake Huron including Manitoulin Island; 

• Robinson-Superior, 1850, north of Lake Superior; 

• Manitoulin Island Treaty, 1862, Manitoulin Island excepting Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve #2; 

• Treaty 3, 1873, southern part of Northwestern Ontario; 

• Treaty 5, 1875, portion of area extends into western Ontario from Manitoba; and, 

• Treaty 9, northern two-thirds of Northern Ontario. 

Visit the Government of Ontario website for maps of the First Nations and treaties. 

Visit the NOSM Health Sciences Library to view the Treaty Recognition Resource Guide. 

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Please visit our website for more information on the program.

NOSM U-Family Medicine (http://www.nosm.ca/familymedicine)

Watch our program info session: https://nosm.webex.com/recordingservice/sites/nosm/recording/378483d2d4df40c5871c74d4548b80f6/playback

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 find answers to your questions 

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Return of Service

Graduating Residents will be accorded a two-year Return of Service (ROS) with the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, providing physician services to the Thunder Bay-based Matawa Health Co-operative (MHC). The MHC serves multiple Matawa communities in both urban and remote locales where physicians will be able to spend approximately 1 week a month in a remote setting, such as Eabametoong First Nations, alongside their other duties as assigned by the MHC.

Further details on the Matawa Health Cooperative and Matawa Communities can be found on the Matawa First Nation website at www.matawa.on.ca

IMPORTANT NOTICE: 
Although MOTP applicants may apply, their Return of Service Agreement to the Department of National Defence does conflict with the ROS requirements of this program. MOTP candidates are not encouraged to apply unless they are in a position to dissolve their current contract and obligations to the Department of National Defence.

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General Instructions

Program application language: English

NOSM University offers Family Medicine training in several 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
• Other rural northern Ontario communities may also be considered as potential home-base locations, subject to preceptor availability/as site capacity allows.
• Integrated Family Medicine/Emergency Medicine (iFMEM) stream
• Sault Ste. Marie 

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, the Remote First Nation stream, and the iFMEM 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 is required, and an additional community reference letter is preferred at the time of interview.  

Integrated Family Medicine/Emergency Medicine stream: an additional document (the NOSM U iFMEM Addendum/Questionnaire) with specific questions pertaining to suitability for integrated EM training is required.

*For the first iteration, applications to additional streams (except RFN and iFMEM) must be completed by 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, February 1, 2026. Applications to Rural streams (East/West/South) will only be considered if the rural addendum was submitted prior to the file review period. 

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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

Applications for the Remote First Nations Stream will be reviewed and scored independently by two reviewers:

• A NOSM University Family Medicine Faculty Member;
• A professional staff from Matawa Health Co-operative or one of the representatives from the service community;

 

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Interviews

Selection Criteria

In keeping with the CanMEDs roles, please note that throughout the entire application and selection process, your interactions with NOSM University 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, including a demonstrated interest in working with Indigenous and Francophone communities
• strong academic record
• strength of references
• excellent interpersonal and collaboration skills
• evidence of self-directed learning and reflective practice
• desire to train in a variety of clinical practices and community settings
• connection to northern Ontario educationally, professionally, and/ or personally
• openness and willingness to travel and spend time in remote communities 

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 Residency Program's vision is to educate physicians 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 behaviour -- inclusive of responsibility, respect, and self-awareness.

Our selection process has been developed to identify candidates well suited to our program. As a socially accountable medical university, accountable to the needs and the diversity of the populations of northern Ontario, candidates best suited to the NOSM U Family Medicine Residency Program are those with a vested interest in rural medicine, who can adapt and thrive in a hands-on, distributed residency program that requires flexibility and some travel away from their primary location of residence. At times, you will train in environments with fewer learners, which affords excellent first-in-line, hands-on experiences.

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.

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 team members may be taken into consideration by the selection committee and 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

Find out more about the Remote First Nation Stream here

Residents can expect Family Medicine training that will prepare them for eventual practice in any community, and especially in rural, remote and Indigenous northern Ontario communities.

• Our program spans the geography of northern Ontario and experiences exist across all our regions. At times, residents will travel for rotations, away from their home site, to experience the breadth of the discipline. Support is available for housing and travel costs
• Community immersion in Eabametoong First Nation which will allow residents to become embedded in Indigenous culture and traditional practices, and experience the rewards and challenges of delivering health care in remote First Nations communities
• Other diverse opportunities exist to encounter, immerse in and deliver health care to First Nation peoples within northern Indigenous communities in the Matawa Tribal Council Area
• In addition to core Family Medicine training, opportunity to learn about traditional healing and medicine therapies from Elders and other community members, and to undertake academic curriculum designed around Indigenous health competencies
• Concentrated training opportunities in cultural competency, addictions and mental health, and interprofessional team care
• Early integration as a key member of an interdisciplinary health care team dedicated to professionalism, high quality patient care in a community context with excellent medical education
• A diverse variety of community based primary care, 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
• Initial block of training focused on transition to residency to ensure successful progression through the two years of training
• A non-clinical curriculum with dedicated time for academic sessions mapped to the CFPC Priority Topics, including a high-quality longitudinal simulation program
• 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/primary residence for up to 6 months per academic year
• Opportunities to participate in a scholarly project, including research and quality improvement, under expert guidance
• Funding available for research, professional development and conference participation
• Exceptional lifestyle balance with a wide variety of outstanding northern Ontario recreational opportunities
• 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

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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, is 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.

Program Curriculum

Find out more on the Remote First Nations Stream Curriculum here 

Length of Training 

2 Years Family Medicine + 6 Months Additional Skills Training 

In addition to the two-year family medicine program, residents in the Remote First Nations Stream are afforded an additional 6 months of elective and selective enhanced skills training opportunities to ensure they are provided increased time and exposure to various competencies and experiences associated with comprehensive clinical practice in remote First Nations communities. 

These learning experiences may be focused on areas such as, but not limited to, rural and remote medicine, indigenous health, Elder teachings, and cultural safety training. This additional training exposure provides our learners with the added time, support, and flexibility to adapt to their individual learner needs with the realities of family practice in remote indigenous communities. Upon completing the Family Medicine Program, NOSM University Family Medicine residents will be compensated at the PGY3 salary level during this expanded additional skills training period. 

Program Overview 

The NOSM University Family Medicine program is accredited by 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 and the CFPC's Priority Topics and Skills Dimensions, our curriculum is built with community Family Medicine in mind. Our rotations are largely community-based, with several opportunities within our hospitals. Family physicians provide the vast majority of teaching. The comprehensiveness of practice, continuity of care, and education are central to our work. Depending on the stream, the approach to scheduling clinical experiences will vary. All Family Medicine residents will receive ongoing coaching and feedback, informally and formally, through 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. 
 
FM Remote First Nations Stream residents will have training opportunities in a variety of community settings, based on the volume and availability of clinical experiences. These communities include, but are not limited to: 

• Matawa First Nations communities 

• Sioux Lookout 

• Thunder Bay 

Residents who match to the NOSM FM Remote First Nations Stream will be home-based out of Thunder Bay, which will be their location of primary residence.  

Residents will be placed with a Family Medicine preceptor, community members, and health professionals for various rotations and learning experiences. Additional core rotations and training will occur in the Sioux Lookout community and other communities, such as Kenora in Northwestern Ontario.  

Throughout the program, elective rotations (which can take place outside of these communities) provide additional flexibility and enable residents to tailor their training to achieve competence in the domains of care, and their individual learning objectives still need to be met by immersions in the regular core rotations requiring travel outside of Thunder Bay. Diversity of experience during elective rotations is encouraged and recognized as being extremely valuable. 

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
Across the Life Cycle	Care of Children and Adolescents Care of Adults Care of Elderly Maternal and Newborn Care Men’s Health Palliative Care Women’s Health
Care of Underserved Patients	Behavioural Medicine & Mental Health Global Health & Care of Vulnerable and Underserviced
Procedural Skills	Procedural and Surgical Skills

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.

RFN Sample Clinical Rotation Schedule

PGY1 

Rotation	Weeks
Family Medicine in Thunder Bay	8
Family Medicine Rural	8
Internal Medicine	4
Emergency Medicine	4
Obstetrics/Women's Health	4
Mental Health	8
Pediatrics	4
Pain/Addictions	4
Hospitalist	4
Electives	4

PGY2 

Rotation	Weeks
Family Medicine in Thunder Bay	8
Family Medicine Rural	8
Emergency Medicine	4
Addictions/Pain Management	4
Internal Medicine	8
Psychiatry	4
Obstetrics/Women's Health	4
Pediatrics	4
Electives	8

Additional 6 Months Clinical Curriculum  

Rotation	Weeks
Combination of Selectives and Electives  Palliative Care – 2 weeks    Family Medicine Rotation – 4 weeks    Emergency Rotation 2 weeks   Pediatric/Forensic Psychiatry – 2 weeks    Critical Care (1)  (ORNG, ICU) – 2 weeks    Addiction - 2 weeks     Self–directed electives - 6 weeks    Wound Care - 2 weeks    Infectious Disease - 2 weeks	24 weeks total

 Please visit https://www.nosm.ca/familymedicine/our-streams-at-a-glance/ to compare our streams.

Additional / Cultural Curriculum  

Elder Teaching Program 

These teaching sessions focus on cultural teachings and practices, traditional healing and medicine, ceremonies, and other topics the Elders guide. They are scheduled by the program and occur approximately bi-weekly. These are two-hour group sessions between the elder and fellow residents. Residents are provided with time to attend that is protected in their schedule.  

Clinical Excellence 

Subject to program approval and funding availability, attend the following conferences:

• Society of Rural Physicians of Canada Rural and Remote Medicine Course  

Cultural Safety Training 

• Complete the San’yas online learning modules or equivalent 
• Attendance at various Indigenous health-focused conferences, subject to program approval and availability     

Additional Courses to Prepare Residents for Isolated Practice 

Subject to funding availability and program approval, various courses such as Airway Interventions & Management in Emergencies (AIME), Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advances in Labour and Risk Management (ALARM), Plastics – Rural Care, CaSTED – Fracture Management Course, and Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS). 

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 person academics occur on campus in Thunder Bay and Sudbury and are mandatory. 

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 Postgraduate Medical Education 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
• 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.  

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Training Sites

Residents who match to the NOSM University FM Remote First Nations Stream will be required to home-base out of Thunder Bay, which will be their location of primary residence, although travel is required.

The resident will have training opportunities in three communities based on the volume and availability of clinical experiences. These communities include, but are not limited to:

Eabametoong First Nation 
Eabametoong First Nation (also known as Fort Hope) is located on the shores of Eabamet Lake in the Albany River system, in Northwestern Ontario. The community location is approximately 240 km north of Beardmore and is accessible by airplane, water or winter/ice roads. The nearest road/railway town is Armstrong, 155 km southwest. Eabamet is 362-air km North of Thunder Bay; 347-air km Northeast of Sioux Lookout; & 217-air km northwest of Geraldton. 

Eabametoong First Nation Community Profile 

Sioux Lookout 

Residents in Sioux Lookout have great opportunities to be placed with Family Medicine preceptors who provide the full spectrum of scope of practice, including emergency care, obstetrics, and inpatient care.

Sioux Lookout Community Profile 
Municipality of Sioux Lookout Website 

Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay provides diverse hands-on training for Family Medicine residents in a closely knit medical community. You will have exposure to many different family practice styles, including solo, group, and inter-professional team based practices with many providing in-hospital care, walk-in clinics, palliative care and maternal/newborn care. Thunder Bay is a regional referral centre for Northwestern Ontario. The high volume tertiary care hospital, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC), is a 375-bed tertiary care academic centre offering  comprehensive services in state-of-the-art healthcare facilities with a fully integrated Regional Cancer Centre Program. Other medical facilities in the city include the St. Joseph’s Care Group which offers complex care, physical rehabilitation, long term care, mental health and addictions; Norwest CHC; and the Thunder Bay District Health Unit.

Thunder Bay Community Profile

Thunder Bay Website

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Additional Information

Transportation

Due to the geographic distribution of clinical training sites within, and across multiple communities, reliable transportation is essential. Residents are frequently required to travel between hospital and clinic locations. Access to a vehicle is strongly recommended, as local public transportation options may be limited and are not comparable to those available in larger urban centres. 

 

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 

Video: A Powerful Voice for Primary Care in Canada - Family Medicine at NOSM University: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQuiAvpPZJk