Physical Wellness

Physical wellness encompasses more than getting a check-up once in a while or going to a doctor when you are sick. Those things are vital to your health, but other things contribute to your physical wellness, including getting a good night’s sleep and eating well.

While research shows that not all aspects of health are within our individual control, we can still build healthy habits into our everyday lives and pursue overall physical wellness. It may take some time, but building a healthy habit around eating, physical activity, and sleeping is well worth the effort it takes, as it contributes not only to physical health but also mental health and all aspects of wellness. Starting slow and building over time will aid you in reaching positive physical wellness.

Resources

I Need Help

Addressing Learner Mistreatment

Learner Support

NOSM U Well App

Resident Wellness Program

Student Assistance Program (SAP)

Need Time Off?

Health & Wellness Guide

Being Active at Home

See a doctor when necessary
Make sure to schedule doctors’ appointments, get your prescriptions in order, visit the dentist and eye doctor as needed. If you do not have a family doctor, contact your Learner Affairs Officer (LAO) and they will do their best to connect you with someone.

Make use of health care benefits
For MD, NODIP, and Graduate students, your health care benefits are through the NOSM University Student Council.
For Residents, your Health Care Benefits are through PARO.

Nourish your body
Make sure to eat enough, and in a balanced way. Include fruits, vegetables, and things you love to eat in your meals. To get personalized advice on nutrition from a Registered Dietitian, book a session through Homewood Health.

Drive safely
If you are too tired to drive yourself home safely after an on-call or extended shift, please do not get behind the wheel.

NOSM University will reimburse you for the cost of a taxi trip from the hospital to your residence in the same city, and you can download the NOSM U Well app for a list of local taxi companies.

NOSM University Gym Access
Both the YMCA and the Canada Games Complex have graciously provided the ability for NOSM University Learners to purchase monthly passes without penalties. Therefore, you will not be penalized if you wish to purchase a monthly pass for one month and skip a month. There are also options for longer-term memberships with both organizations.

The monthly membership fee at the Canada Games Complex in Thunder Bay for full access monthly is:   $53.45+HST 

The monthly membership fee at the YMCA in Sudbury for full access monthly is:  $52.00 + HST

Be active at home
Check out the Library Guide on Being Active @Home.

NOSM U Yoga
These drop-in 50 min classes are held over the lunch hour on Mondays, accessible online via WebEx. Please sign the linked waiver to receive meeting invitations with the connection and room information.

For more information, contact Rebecca Maskevich at rmaskevich@nosm.ca.

Accessibility and accommodations
If you require an accommodation for a disability, including a physical accommodation, please contact the accessibility advisor. To learn more, head to the webpage on Learner Accessibility and Accommodations.

Smoking cessation
If you are looking to stop smoking, Homewood Health’s fully confidential smoking cessation program is available to you at any time.

Contact Homewood Health by phone to begin the smoking cessation program:

1-800-663-1142 (English)
1-866-398-9505 (Numéro sans frais – en français)
1-888-384-1152 (TTY)
604-689-1717 International (Call Collect)

Resident wellness program
Make sure to familiarize yourself with what is available through the Resident Wellness program, in addition to support provided by Learner Support Services and your LAO. Your Resident Wellness supports can be accessed by contacting:

Dr. Sean Sullivan
Assistant Dean, Resident Affairs
residentwellness@nosm.ca

Stay safe while on the road.
The distributed nature of NOSM University Postgraduate Medical Education programs means our residents spend quite a bit of time on the road, and our Northern weather can sometimes make our highways unsafe. If you deem the road conditions to be unsafe for highway travel, we recommend you avoid travelling. If this results in your arrival being delayed for the first day of your next rotation, or an academic session, so be it!

Contact your program coordinator as soon as possible so alternative arrangements can be made, for example teleconferencing in. There is no penalty for keeping yourself safe. Please refer to the Postgraduate Medical Education Resident Safety Policy for additional information pertaining to transportation/travel safety and more.

Take breaks
The resident Wellness Program would like to remind residents of the importance of taking breaks. In addition to the support of Resident Wellness, the Collective Agreement also provides professional time and lieu days. To learn more about resident responsibilities for sick days, short term and long-term leaves please visit the PGME Office website.

Practice sleep hygiene
Lack of sleep is related to stress and can impact your health negatively. While sleep needs vary among individuals, aim for 7-9 hours of sleep, depending on what leaves you feeling rested. Protect your sleep time and, if at all possible, establish a bedtime and morning routine to get in the habit of sleeping.

Learn more about Food as Medicine
Food is Our Medicine is a free online course that allows healthcare professionals to learn about the relationship between food and healing, along with the complex relationship between between Indigenous food ways, reconciliation, healing and health care. Access this course on Nourish.

Exercise in a way that works for you
Exercise can happen in a variety of ways and timeframes. Even if you cannot manage a full 60 or 90-minute workout, just 5 minutes of stretching or high-intensity movement can still be beneficial.

If you like to follow along with videos, check out Participation’s Fit Breaks for exercise videos with various lengths and intensity levels, or Fit Ragamuffin for a series of 5-minute workouts.

If you do not have access to a video, Healthline has developed some guidelines for creating short workouts, such as:

Choose 3-5 exercises (for example, high knees, squats, then any variation of plank).
Set a timer. Do the first exercise for 30 seconds, take 30 seconds to break, then repeat with the next exercise, until you finish the exercises you picked.
Alternatively, do the first exercise for 50 seconds, take a 10 second break, and repeat with the next exercise until you have finished.
Vary the type and intensity of exercises based on your fitness level.

Additionally, try out different types of exercise, especially if you have disliked the exercise you have done in the past or get bored easily. There are many different programs, groups, and solo activities, so be curious and explore what feels best for you.

Aboriginal Health Access Centres
Indigenous learners can access the Aboriginal Health Access Centres in Thunder Bay and Sudbury.

Shkagamik-Kwe Health Centre in Sudbury
Anishnawbe Mushkiki in Thunder Bay

Practice safe sex
Be sure to take care of your reproductive health. Make use of condoms and dental dams, choose birth control that is right for you, and consider PReP as part of an HIV prevention strategy.

Sudbury Sexual Health Clinic
Thunder Bay Sexual Health Clinic