Attracting healthcare providers to rural BC communities can occasionally be a challenging process. There is no one “tried and true” surefire solution to recruiting rural primary care providers.
Below are some provincial resources available to rural communities to assist in the search for healthcare professionals. Also included are documented success stories of rural BC communities who utilized innovative approaches to attract rural physicians to their communities.
JSC Programs – funds recruitment and retention incentives for BC’s rural physicians
REAP Programs – provides funding for medical training and education opportunities for rural medical learners and providers
HealthMatch BC – a service that recruits healthcare professionals to British Columbia
Doctors of BC – professional organization for all physicians in British Columbia
Society of General Practitioners of Canada – the economic and political voice of family doctors within the Doctors of BC
General Practice Services Committee – partnership between Doctors of BC and the Ministry of Health to encourage and enhance full practice family practice
Divisions of Family Practice – local/regional physician-led initiative that develops solutions to local healthcare issues
Rural and Remote Divisions of Family Practice – a provincial physician-led initiative that that develops solutions to provincial healthcare issues that impact rural communities
Union of BC Municipalities – Electoral Area Directors are the mayors and leaders of BC’s rural communities
Nakusp, BC
- “Village vying for doctors offers house” (CBC)
- CBC radio interview with Dr. Subzwarito
Fort St. James, BC
- “The doctors are in” (Prince George Citizen)
- “Communities play key role in physician recruitment, retention: Fort St. James case study” (BC Rural Update)
Gold River, BC
- “A firsthand look at a thriving interprofessional practice: Gold River” (BC Rural Update)
Golden, BC
- “Clinical teaching: A long-term recruitment strategy” (BC Rural Update)
Mackenzie, BC
- “When physicians recruit: Teaching, marketing and other talents they didn’t teach at med school” (BC Rural Update)
Oceanside (Parksville/Qualicum)
- “Urgent care starts Monday at Oceanside Health Centre” (Parksville Qualicum Beach News)
- “The Oceanside Health Centre is Working (letter to the editor)” (Parksville Qualicum Beach News)
Takla Landing, BC
- “Pioneering telehealth for BC’s rural and remote First Nations communities” (BC Rural Update)
Williams Lake, BC
- “A TRU-ly unique rural health initiative” (BC Rural Update)
Rural recruitment and retention – general stories
“How other communities solve health care problems” (Alaska Highway News)
“Collaboration of physicians, community, health authorities needed for successful rural recruitment and retention” (BC Rural Update)
