Northern Ontario School of Medicine students speak on their Dryden placements
Posted by John Borst
on Jan 18, 2011
Our January 12th speakers were Colleen Valenti and Dani Garon. Both are third year Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) Students on placement in Dryden for 8 months from September 2010 to April 2011.
Dani Garon was born in Schreiber, Ontario. She attended the University of Toronto where she obtained a Neuroscience Degree, followed by a Graduate Nursing Degree. Garon worked in Thunder Bay 3 years as an Oncology Nurse and saw strong need for more doctors in that area so enrolled in the NOSM program.“NOSM is a spectacular program,” she said. “No other medical school does same amount of placements in remote locations,” she added. Dani has been in Dryden since August and received a very warm welcome both at hospital and in community. In her off time she is a runner and plays on a Dryden women’s hockey team.
Colleen Valenti was raised in Thunder Bay. She obtained a Nursing Degree and was working in Primary Health Care but returned to Lakehead University to obtain her Nurse Practitioner Certificate.
After travelling and working throughout Thunder Bay and Northern Ontario for 10 years she began working with a Cancer Centre program and saw a need for Acute/Palliative
Care doctors in the area and decided enrol at NOSM.
She knew Dr. Mazurski through the Cancer program and knew she would receive a warm welcome in Dryden. Valenti said, “This warm and open community is a great attraction and works hard with DRHC to retain and attraction doctors”. Then added, “It also supports continuing education and how important it is.”
Both speakers complimented Dryden on their fundraising and support of DRHC as CT Scan and new ultrasound equipment are major attractions to student doctors and new doctors when picking a community to work in.
The concluded by describing the challenges faced by Doctors practicing in Northern Ontario and Dryden such as the weather and distance, the need to treat and determine cases sometimes in tiny windows of time between ability to get a patient to a major centre if needed.
Rtn Angie Bujold, thanked the speakers but also spoke on behalf of the administration and doctors at the Dryden Regional Health Centre telling Rotarians how important students from NOSM are to them as they keep the local doctors on their toes . She described how Dr. Whittaker
is mentoring both Colleen and Dani with assistance by Dr. Gagnon, Dr. Dahmer, Dr. Cortens and
Dr. Mazurski.
She praised Chuck Schmitt for his hard work and diligence on behalf of recruitment and retention for DRHC and a major asset to their successes.
Some successes Bujold announce were:
- Dr. Adam Moyer – previously on placement in Dryden will starting practice here, July 2011;
- Bruce Cook – from Dryden, currently in 4th year at NOSM; moving back to Dryden with Spouse/family and starting practice here in fall 2012 following his final internship and was referred by Adam Moyer;
- Dan Cutfeet – also a 4th year NOSM student, but from Sioux Lookout is also coming to Dryden as referred by Bruce Cook