The following charts outline the factors by which the Joint Standing Committee (JSC) determines the number of points designated for each rural BC community within the RSA.
The point system is used to categorized and group communities in order to determine eligibility for programs under the RSA.
A description of each category is found below. The JSC regularly reviews the criteria and may make changes from time to time.
Number of Designated Specialties* within 70 km
| Medical Isolation and Living Factors | Points | Maximum Points |
| 0 Specialties within 70 km | 60 | |
| 1 Specialty within 70 km | 50 | |
| 2 Specialties within 70 km | 40 | |
| 3 Specialties within 70 km | 20 | |
| 4+ Specialties within 70 km | 0 | 60 |
*All designated specialties within 70 km of the community, by road or ferry, where the specialist(s) meeting the FTE income figure are counted. A FTE physician is a physician that is above the 40th percentile of earnings for the relevant specialty.
Designated specialists, as per RSA, are: General Surgery, Orthopaedics, Paediatrics, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Anaesthesia, Psychiatry and Radiology
Number of General Practitioners within 36 km
| Medical Isolation and Living Factors | Points | Maximum Points |
| Over 20 | 0 | |
| 11-20 | 20 | 60 |
| 4-10 | 40 | |
| 0-3 | 60 |
General Practitioners practicing within 35 km by road of the community and who meet the FTE income count. General Practitioners practising in a community within 35 km of the community by ferry are not counted.
Community Size*
| Medical Isolation and Living Factors | Points | Maximum Points |
| 30,000+ | 0 | |
| 10,000-30,000 | 10 | |
| 5,000-10,000 | 15 | |
| up to 5,000 | 25 | 25 |
* if larger community within 35 km, then larger population is considered.
Where a community is within 35 km by road of a larger community, the points are based on the population of the larger community. Where a community is within 35 km of a larger community by ferry, the population of the larger community is not counted. When two communities are combined in this Agreement, the populations will be amalgamated.
Distance from Major Medical Community*
| Medical Isolation and Living Factors | Points | Maximum Points |
| First 70 km road distance | 4 | |
| For each 35 km over 70 km | 2 | |
| To a maximum of | 30 | 30 |
* Kamloops, Kelowna, Nanaimo, Vancouver, Victoria, Abbotsford, Prince George
The designated major medical communities are Abbotsford, Kamloops, Kelowna, Nanaimo, Prince George, Vancouver and Victoria. Major medical communities have at least 3 practicing specialists in each of the designated specialties.
Degree of Latitude
| Medical Isolation and Living Factors | Points | Maximum Points |
| Communities between 52 to 53 degrees latitude | 20 | |
| Communities above 53 degrees latitude | 30 | 30 |
Points are allocated for those communities in British Columbia located at and above the 52 degrees of latitude.
Specialist Centre*
| Medical Isolation and Living Factors | Points | Maximum Points |
| 3 or 4 designated specialties in physician supply plans | 30 | |
| 5 to 7 designated specialties in physician supply plans | 50 | |
| 8 designated specialties and more than one specialist in each specialty as set out in the physician supply plan | 60 | 60 |
* Designated specialists, as per the RSA, are: General Surgery, Orthopaedics, Paediatrics, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Anaesthesia, Psychiatry and Radiology
Points will be assigned to RSA communities where the regional Physician Supply Plan requires designated specialists to provide services for a community. A RSA community located within 35 km by road of a RSA Specialist Centre will receive the same points as the RSA Specialist Centre for this factor. All physicians working in any RSA community as of December 31st 2007 are deemed to be included in the Plan for the term of the RSA.
Location Arc
| Medical Isolation and Living Factors | Points | Maximum Points |
| Communities in Arc A (within 100 km air distance from Vancouver) |
0.10 | |
| Communities in Arc B (between 100 and 300 km air distance from Vancouver) |
0.15 | |
| Communities in Arc C (between 300 and 750 km air distance from Vancouver) |
0.20 | |
| Communities in Arc D (over 750 km air distance from Vancouver) |
0.25 |
Four differential multipliers have been established to determine the total points to decide retention allowance figures. Arcs are based on air distance from Vancouver and multiplied by the applicable factor to determine the community’s total number of points.
Additional Note: Road and Ferry Distances
Road distances are supplied by Davenport Maps LTD. Ferry crossing distances are provided by BC Ferries and in the case of inland ferries, the Ministry of Transportation and Highways:
- Road distances are used as a proxy for travel time.
- Road distances are converted to travel time using an assumed average speed of 70 km per hour.
- For communities only accessible by ferry, the distance is calculated by multiplying the water distance x8; the ferry distance is then added to the applicable road distance.
Communities that do not qualify for RRP under the RSA receive 50% of the previous year’s retention allowance for one year.
