Highlighted as a key priority within the Ontario Hospital Association’s (OHA) Strategic Plan, this education is fundamental to helping future health care professionals acquire the requisite knowledge, skills, and experiences to provide high-quality care.  

This issue of Health System News showcases the important work Ontario’s hospitals are contributing to clinical education.  

The Backbone of a High-Performing Health System

For many learners, the required clinical education provided by hospitals is invaluable, bridging learnings from the classroom to real-world settings and enabling them to develop competencies to deliver effective and compassionate care. Hospitals not only prepare learners to work within their walls but also equip them to contribute across the health system, including in primary care, long-term care, and more.  Supporting education strengthens every part of the health continuum and ensures patients can access high-quality care at all junctures of the health system. 

Ontario’s health system will face significant pressure over the next two decades, as shown in the Patterns of Illness in Ontario report. Hospitals are stepping up to train even more learners in engaging and innovative ways to address the health care needs of today and the future. Continuous support for hospitals’ education efforts is needed to ensure the province has the talent to meet the increasing patient volume and complexity.   

Building Capacity Together 

Much of this education has historically been provided by Ontario’s academic hospitals, which have a mandate comprised of research and education activities, as well as various community hospitals. More recently, in response to increasing health system demands, several large community hospitals are also expanding their education activities to support learners across the province.  

In 2023, Lakeridge Health became the home site for the Queen’s–Lakeridge Health MD Family Medicine program as a Queen’s University Satellite Campus. Since then, they have implemented a new Clinical Teaching Unit (CTU), co-led by both General Internists and Family Medicine Specialists, embedding undergraduate and postgraduate medical education within a non-traditional academic setting. 

At Humber River Health, Medical Trainee Days have increased from about 3,500 in 2015 to over 14,000 in 2025, a 304 per cent increase – with clinical teaching opportunities continuing to expand.  

St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, St. Joseph’s Villa and Mohawk College created a new approach to clinical learning by embedding education and integrated collaboration within long-term care – accelerating workforce readiness and building sustainable local capacity to meet the needs of an aging population​.  

Ontario is at a critical juncture, pressed to meet the health care demands of today and the future. As centres of clinical education, and supported by a culture of excellence and innovation, hospitals are integral to maintaining and strengthening system capacity. While the importance of clinical education is often understated and unacknowledged, ensuring that hospitals are empowered to maintain existing programs while growing new offerings is essential for delivering outstanding care and building a high-performing system.