Rural Locum Starter Kit

If you’re interested in becoming a rural locum in British Columbia, you’ll want to connect with Locums for Rural BC to have an in-depth discussion about how you want to structure your locum work. This group will also guide you through any questions you may have about eligibility requirements, how to apply to join a locum service, and how to find placements.

In rural British Columbia, locums may be arranged through three different avenues:

1. Private negotiation – a host physician and a locum physician work out an independent arrangement and/or contract with no support from a third party.
2. Locums for Rural BC – a locum physician can apply for a specific posted position in a Rural Subsidiary Agreement (RSA) community. (Postings can be viewed here.)
3. Rural GP Locum Program (RGPLP) – a locum physician can apply to become part of this locum service which is administered by Locums for Rural BC. This service provides a guaranteed daily rate and subsidies for travel and accommodation to and from placements. This service only supports select RSA communities with 7 or fewer GPs (as verified by the local health authority).

Finding a locum opportunity

There are three organizations that regularly post locum opportunities for British Columbia: Locums for Rural BC, Locums.ca, and the Society of General Practitioners of BC. The contact information for all three organizations may be found here along with a listing of the locum resources offered by all three groups.

Additional Locum Resources

The Society of General Practitioners of BC has a sample Locum Contract Template available on its web site, along with a host physician checklist, a “how to” guide for out-of-province physicians interested in locuming in BC, and useful billing codes for locums.

Locums.ca offers information for physicians interested in participating in global health opportunities.

Both RCCbc and Locums for Rural BC have information about specific rural BC communities if you would like to explore what amenities and medical resources are available to you during a locum.