The opening of a new medical school at Toronto Metropolitan University brings good news for Ontario’s strained healthcare system, which is experiencing a huge doctor shortage.
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) is poised to open its new medical school in Brampton in September. The first class will include 94 undergraduates and 105 postgraduates to address the region’s huge doctor shortage.
According to TMU President Mohamed Lachemi, all students will be Canadian, with the majority hailing from Ontario. He said the goal is to welcome a diverse group of future doctors, hoping many will opt to stay and work in Brampton.
“We know that Brampton is one of the most culturally diverse and fast-growing cities in the country, but also its residents regularly experience challenges with access to primary care,” Lachemi explained.
The growing problem of Ontario’s doctor shortage
There were 2.5 million Ontarians without a family doctor as of July last year. Funding new medical schools is one part of the Ford government’s plan to deal with the issue of doctor shortage, which has been prevalent during their time in office.
Long-established research has found people without a regular family physician have a greater reliance on emergency rooms and are more likely to end up hospitalised.
“The world needs more people who are generalists,” said Teresa Chan, dean of the new medical school.
Specialists in family medicine, emergency medicine and general paediatrics form the first line of defence against illness, she said.
However, fewer medical school graduates are choosing family medicine. In April, the president of the Ontario Medical Association noted that funding issues and the burden of administrative work are deterring students and causing Ontario’s doctor shortage.
Chan said the school will incorporate the latest knowledge about education and health care into its curriculum to prevent this.
Part of TMU’s approach is to include modern insights about education and health care. The school plans to include lessons from the post-pandemic period and incorporate machine learning and generative AI into the curriculum.
Huge surge in applications to the medical school
TMU’s medical school will be crucial in solving Ontario’s doctor shortage, as it received around 6,500 applications in its first round — 1,500 more than expected.
Applicants do not need a science background to apply to the school, and there is no prerequisite undergraduate coursework.
The school also has a partnership with the Peel District School Board, targeting students from groups that are underrepresented in health care.
Dominick Shelton, the school’s interim assistant dean for admissions and recruitment, said its partnership with the Peel District School Board will create a pipeline for future students.
Currently, TMU’s medical school is undergoing renovations before welcoming its first cohort of students.
What was once the centre’s library will now be, in part, the school’s medical library.
“I’m hoping kids that grew up here getting their library books will become the kids that come here with their big backpacks to study for the medical school someday,” Chan concluded.
