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Ontario Helping More Students Become Doctors in Northern Ontario

Historic number of undergraduate seats and postgraduate training seats now prioritized for Ontario residents

NORTH BAY – Vic Fedeli, MPP for Nipissing announced that the Ontario government is expanding the number of undergraduate seats and postgraduate medical training positions to ensure there are enough doctors to meet the health care needs of Northern Ontario’s growing population. Prioritized for Ontario residents, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine University (NOSM University) will be allocated 14 new undergraduate seats and 22 new postgraduate medical training positions, providing more opportunities for Ontario students to be trained locally.

“The new medical seats allocated to the NOSM University will ensure there are more doctors to provide the high-quality health care Ontarians need and deserve in Northern Ontario,” said MPP Vic Fedeli. “This expansion will help build a stronger, more resilient health care system that everyone can access, in our northern communities.”

“NOSM University is grateful to the Ontario government for supporting medical school expansion. Their attention to addressing health inequities in Northern Ontario and emphasis on resources to train physicians is urgent and much appreciated. NOSM University, as Canada’s only independent medical University, will continue its success in delivering to the needs of the communities in Northern Ontario,” said Dr. Sarita Verma, President, Vice Chancellor, Dean and CEO of NOSM University.

“Medical education expansion is a key part of our government’s plan to connect Northern Ontario’s growing population to health care closer to home,” said Jill Dunlop, Minister of Colleges and Universities. “We’re training the next generation of Ontario doctors right here at home. Expanding the number of medical seats that prioritize Ontarians will make it easier for the homegrown doctors of tomorrow to receive training and provide world-class health care where it is needed most.”

NOSM University will be allocated 14 new undergraduate seats and 22 new postgraduate medical training positions, bringing the total number of spots at the university to 108 undergraduate and 123 postgraduate seats by 2028.

The new positions are part of the government’s provincewide plan announced in Budget 2023 to create another 100 undergraduate medical school seats starting in 2023 and another 154 postgraduate medical training positions beginning in 2024 and will help more Ontario students become doctors in their home province.

This expansion is part of the government’s Your Health plan, which includes initiatives to hire more health care workers.

The Ontario government’s 2023 budget, Building a Strong Ontario, is helping to drive economic growth, attract jobs and investments, and build key infrastructure projects faster. The government’s plan is also training skilled workers to fill in-demand jobs, keeping costs down for those that need it the most, and providing better health and public services for Ontario families.

QUICK FACTS

• This new investment in Budget 2023 builds on the expansion of 160 undergraduate seats and 295 postgraduate medical training positions announced last year, the largest expansion of Ontario’s medical school system in over a decade. The government is investing $100.8 million over three years to support the rollout of those spots.
• 60 per cent of the new postgraduate training seats will be in primary care and 40 per cent will be in specialty care.
• undergraduate seats and postgraduate medical training positions across Ontario to 1,212 and 1,637 respectively, by 2028.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Province Helping More Ontario Students Become Doctors at Home in Ontario
• 2023 Ontario Budget: Building a Strong Ontario
• Ontario Training More Doctors as it Builds a More Resilient Health Care System